Margaret York

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Margaret York (August 4, 1941 – October 17, 2021) was an American police officer, considered to have a groundbreaking impact during her time in the Los Angeles Police Force. She was the inspiration for the show "Cagney & Lacey".

LAPD career[]

She began working at the Los Angeles Police Department in 1965 as a radio operator, then attended the police academy and became an officer in 1968.[1] After working for 24 years in the she was promoted in 1992 to Lieutenant at the age of 51. She was the fourth woman to achieve that rank in the department.[2] She was promoted to Commander in 1992, only the second woman to rise to that rank.[3] In 2000 she was the first woman promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief.[1]

York was partnered with another woman, Helen Kidder, in the homicide department in the 1970s[4] and they reportedly had the highest rate of confessions of any team.[2][5] That team was the inspiration for the television show Cagney & Lacey pairing two female detectives, although the show was situated in New York City.[1]

O.J. Simpson trial[]

In 1981 York and Judge Lance Ito married.[4] During the O. J. Simpson murder case trial, over which Judge Ito presided, a key witness in the trial was Mark Fuhrman, a police officer who was subordinate to Captain York. Fuhrman had been caught on tape disparaging York and the prosecution in the trial therefore threatened to call York as a witness as a way to disqualify Ito from continuing his role in the case.[6]

Personal life[]

York was involved in a lot of philanthropic work, particularly with the Salvation Army. She died on October 17, 2021, at the age of 80. She was survived by her husband, Lance Ito, and two sons and a daughter from a previous marriage.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Deutsch, Linda (October 28, 2021). "Peggy York dies; first woman LAPD deputy chief, inspiration for TV's 'Cagney & Lacey'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Stewart, Jocelyn Y. (October 31, 1992). "7 Promoted to LAPD Rank of Captain". Los Angeles Times. p. B9.
  3. ^ Lait, Matt (August 22, 1997). "Parks Unveils Sweeping Reorganization of LAPD". Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
  4. ^ a b Seelye, Katherine Q (November 4, 2021). "Margaret York, 80, L.A.P.D. Trailblazer Who Inspired 'Cagney & Lacey,' Dies". New York times. p. B15. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  5. ^ Nazario, Sonia (June 5, 1993). "A Force to be Reckoned With: Although still rare, female officers are changing the way police patrol the streets". Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
  6. ^ "The Relevance of the Detective's Tapes". New York Times. August 18, 1995. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  7. ^ Margaret York, police officer who helped to inspire the detective series Cagney & Lacey – obituary


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