St Louis' first-ever female Chief of Police reminds us a lot of Abigail Thomas in CBS' 'Tommy'
On March 19, 2020, Mary Barton of St Louis County Police made history when she was appointed the first-ever female Chief of Police of her department. She currently oversees the West County Precinct.
Barton succeeded former chief Jon Belmar and the Board of Police Commissioners selected Barton from eight other candidates contending for the same position.
Her promotion and appointment come at a time when we see women taking over command positions across different levels of law and order and it makes for a proud moment for aspiring female officers who strive to head to the top and prove their worth.
Barton joined the force in 1978 and has been serving the county ever since. Over her entire career, she had served in different capacities in her department. One of them was being an instructor at the St Louis County and Municipal Police Academy on cultural diversity.
The 62-year-old female captain of her precinct got promoted to lieutenant colonel on Thursday, March 19. Now, this news reminds us of a fictional character that has been making headlines ever since she was introduced on primetime network.
We are talking about none other than Abigail Thomas, played by Edie Falco, aka 'Tommy' on CBS. The network's latest crime procedural is about a New York female police officer who gets promoted to being the first-ever female Chief of Police of LAPD.
The city had never had a woman officer in that position. The show addresses the challenges women officers have been facing and continue to face and Tommy is a representative of a society that has been biased against changes.
The story and its character might be completely fictional but the coincidence it shares with the current news from St Louis is fascinating.
No matter how powerful fictional stories and characters seem, facts will always seem stranger and more impactful. If we can take the liberty, we would say that works of art have a strange way of inspiring reality.
Not that this news of Mary Barton has anything to do with the show, however, the connection between the two situations — one real and one fictional — are awe-inspiring.
According to local news, there has been a perpetual concern about diversity within the command staff at St Louis County Police. And as someone involved in training people on cultural diversity, the board’s decision seems rational.
Talking about Mary Barton's appointment to the local media, Dr. Laurie Punch, a member of the police board, commented, "Lieutenant Colonel Barton is an experienced leader with a 'clear vision' of an equitable future for both the department and the community we serve."
Adding to her praise, her predecessor, Jon Belmar said in a media statement, "I have had the pleasure of working with Lieutenant Colonel Barton for many years. I am confident that she possesses the abilities to lead this Police Department. I look forward to working alongside her in the transition leading up to my retirement."
Furthermore, with the current coronavirus pandemic, the police board is leaving no stone unturned to deal with staff shortage and other roadblocks, with Jon Belmar taking the lead.
Lieutenant Mary Barton will begin her tenure as Colonel and ninth chief of police of St Louis County, effective May 1 and will serve as the first woman at that rank in the department.