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Newark Stories: Mae Smith

John O'Boyle

In honor of this city's 350th Anniversary, we’re bringing you Newark’s stories — voices from unheard Newarkers, from the Ironbound to Weequahic to University Heights.

Today we’re heading to the North Ward, with a story from Mae Smith from 1982. That was the year that Newark first hired female police officers — just nine of them — to patrol the city. They faced skepticism and discrimination, but Mae stuck with it for 25 years. She recently sat down to talk about what those early years were like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmYCh-ArdIA