LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast community police station is now named after the late Margaret "Peggy" York, the first woman to hold the rank of Deputy Chief in the department.
"She faced an uphill battle to change the system because when she started working at the department the only types of jobs female officers were given at that time were either at the front desk, community liaison or working in juvenile crimes," said William Briggs II, president of the Los Angeles Police Commission.
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York's husband, retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lance Ito, family members, city officials and many others joined for the ceremony in her honor. Over the course of York's 35 years spent advancing through the department, her daughter said she spent her most formidable years in the northeast area, so having the station is especially meaningful.
"She was a hard-working young officer," said York's daughter, Cynthia York Shadian. "A pioneer in her field yes, but also simply struggling with issues such as child care, the demands of single parenthood and just trying to make ends meet."
Deputy Chief York's trailblazing legacy continues. This is the first time in the history of the LAPD that a department facility is named after a woman.
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"It's incredible to look around and see so many women with captains bars, lieutenants bars, commander stars and it's just so reassuring that all the things Peggy and I did were worth while," said Helen Kidder, York's classmate and partner as LAPD'S first all-female homicide investigation team.
Deputy Chief York passed away in October of 2021, but her legacy lives on today.
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