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December 5, 2007
Betsy Watson: Breaking Through the Gender Barrier
Closed doors and small minds weren't enough to keep this Texas Tech graduate from accomplishing her dreams.
Written by Gretchen Pressley
Betsy Watson broke through the gender barrier to become the first woman police chief in Houston and, two years later, Austin.
She had heard this kind of thing before, but this time the comment stuck with her.
“Women can’t tell men what to do,” said Elizabeth "Betsy" Watson’s lieutenant when she expressed her intention to become a sergeant.
Suppressing the rebellion inside, Watson’s response was confident, cool and collected. “Things will change.”
“Not in your lifetime,” he countered. Several years later, that lieutenant was working for Watson, who became the first female police chief in Houston and, two years later, in Austin.
From the days when women had to sew their own police uniforms and weren’t allowed out on patrol, Watson has pushed through the gender barrier to become an international icon of equality in the police force.
“If you look around the country, there are many female police chiefs in many different cities now,” she said. “I was kind of a ‘break the ice’ thing, but it’s taken in stride today. I’m very happy about that. It’s always such a pleasant surprise when someone tells me I’ve made a difference to them.”
Betsy Watson has come a long way from who she was in 1971 – a Texas Tech graduate fresh out of college, not knowing what to do with her newly acquired psychology degree. But the lessons she learned from her years at the university gave her the tools she needed to make her way in life.
“Those were wonderful, wonderful years,” Watson said. “I got the very best education that I could have gotten anywhere. I went in a shy, little girl and I came out quite self-confident, feeling like I had the ability to do anything. That is not an easy transformation to make in four years. I want the world to recognize the contribution that Texas Tech makes. ”
All Women Sew ...
When Watson enrolled in the police academy in Houston, shortly after graduating in the early 1970s, she did not find the welcoming environment she expected.
There were fewer than a hundred women in a police department of more than 2,000. Watson struggled daily with senior officers over what they would allow her to wear and do. When getting fitted for uniforms, the officer measuring the inseams of her fellow male cadets just skipped her, saying that she could sew her own uniformed skirt. In confusion, she explained that she didn’t sew.
“All women sew,” he responded.
Graduating at the top of her class, Watson could choose any field – as long as it was either juvenile crime or jail, while her male counterparts were rewarded with more sought after duties like narcotics, SWAT team or detective work.
“I don’t think I was necessarily any smarter or harder-working than the other female cadets there,” Watson said regarding her success at the academy and at her job. “But I did tend to care less about what other people said. The other women were very offended when they were discriminated against, but I let it roll off – I couldn’t be bothered. To me, it was ‘if that door’s shut, I’ll just climb out this window over here.’ I found other ways to move forward.”
Breaking and Entering
Watson worked in juvenile for about a year before transferring to jail duty. A few years later, she switched to criminal investigations – undercover work. She made allies and impressed her superiors every time. When it came time to choose a new chief of the police force in 1990, even her male colleagues were ready to accept her, she said.
“I think I had earned the respect of my peers. That made an impression on Chief Lee Brown, whom I succeeded” she said. “I think he appreciated my ability to make tough decisions under pressure.”
Watson’s appointment as the first woman to head a major urban police department made news all over the world.
“I didn’t expect it to be international news,” she said with a laugh. “I had reporters in my office from France, Japan, London. It was amazing. I remember seeing my picture in a Chinese paper; there was all this Chinese around it and I couldn’t read anything. I was just blown away to be the center of so much international attention.”
Pregnant with Possibilities
Soon after hearing that she was to become the next chief, Watson found out she was pregnant with her third child.
“I was so stunned,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I had been working around the clock seven days a week getting to know the community and the officers – how I got pregnant is still a mystery – but in any event, I made plans to give up the post.”
However, when Watson informed former Mayor Kathy Whitmire of her decision, Whitmire told her there was no reason for her not to take the position.
Two years later, Watson accepted an offer to become the first woman police chief in Austin. Once there, she set about flattening the department’s convoluted hierarchy and strengthening the police force.
Because of her expertise in managing police officers, the U.S. Department of Justice offered Watson a fellowship to design a curriculum for teaching leadership skills to police officers. In 1997, Watson left the Austin police force and began her fellowship.
“Much of the teaching that is done in the police academy is how to shoot, how to fill out a report, how to determine how the law applies,” Watson said. “But there wasn’t much for management. Managers just get promoted and learn from each other, right or wrong. I traveled all around the country, developing a curriculum that would be taught to higher-level managers.”
Watson worked on her fellowship for two years before becoming a police consultant, something she continues even now.
“I dabble with police departments who are struggling with some of the same things I went through and I give them the benefit of my experiences,” she said. “While working for the justice department, I didn’t have any demands on my time except to be able to travel, look and learn. It’s wonderful to be able to share that with others.
Image courtesy of Elizabeth Watson
Story produced by the Office of Communications and Marketing, 806-742-2136.