Two weeks after Joan's revelation, she was enrolled in her first class, Psychology. It was in this class where she met the Chief of Police from a local MA town. They became friends. During their conversations Joan expressed her desire to help people, but had no idea how she could go about it. He said, "If you want to be a police officer, you'd be getting in on the ground floor and many other women would follow you."
Joan later thought he must be referring to a 1971 Supreme Court Decision in Griggs v. Duke Power Company. It opened the door for banning height, weight, and other physical requirements that had barred women from entering the workforce in certain fields. However, there were a handful of similar court cases during that time frame.
The following year, Joan decided to take Administration of Justice Courses in addition to the basic courses she needed. In her English class she prepared to write her first term paper. She submitted the topic of her choice, "Police Work". Permission was granted to write on this topic, but the teacher added that it must be on "Police Corruption." Joan was angry as she tried to put together a term paper diametrically opposed to her daydreams of serving and protecting. The interwoven theme became, "The Corruption Within Police Departments is Only the Mirror Image of the Level of Corruption within Society at a Given Time."
She decided to stop at her local police department to inquire about positions available for women in the criminal justice field. She was disappointed to hear that the only position available was "Matron" (to sit beside a jail cell that held a female prisoner.) Joan decided to contact MA Congresswoman Louise Day Hicks for assistance identifying other potential positions available for women at State Agencies in MA . She told Joan that the Massachusetts State Police employed women under the title "State Police Women." They were NOT troopers, but they investigated "Morals Cases". At that time this would be any case involving women and/or children as victims of mostly sex crimes. Joan knew immediately she wanted to pursue this path.
In 1972, Joan went forward with an application for the position and was excited to share her plans with fellow students at Northeastern. One day, two of these students (MA State Troopers) asked her, "Hey...aren't you the one who's applying to be a State Police Woman?" After acknowledging she had an application submitted, they told her, "Well you won't be able to do that!! You'll have to go on as a Trooper." She screamed, "I AM NOT A BRA BURNER!" This was the mantra of the time for women who were not persuaded by the Women's Liberation Movement. They told her, "Well, there's been legislation and if you want to go on the State Police...you'll have to go on as a Trooper."
Joan remembers receiving a letter at this point advising she could take the written test to become a trooper. She didn't just "take" the test...she practically ACED the test.
Now the ball starts rolling!!!
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