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WHEREAS, Therese Rocco, known as "The Rock", began her career with the Pittsburgh Police in 1948 at the age of nineteen and became Pittsburgh's first female Assistant Police Chief; and,
WHEREAS, in 1948, she began as a clerk in an all-female missing persons unit, but when her male colleagues recognized her courage and perseverance, they used her in sting operations and she was quickly moved to investigative work; and,
WHEREAS, although she became a police officer, she was not permitted to wear a uniform or carry a gun because she was a female. During that time, female officers primarily worked on cases of missing children; and,
WHEREAS, by the time she graduated from CCAC in 1976, Therese was the Captain of the Pittsburgh Police Missing Persons Bureau and in 1979, she received a Bachelor's Degree in Administrative Justice from the University of Pittsburgh and was promoted to Commander; and,
WHEREAS, in 1989, Therese was promoted to Assistant Chief of Police, making her the first woman to be appointed as a police chief in a major US city; and,
WHEREAS, Ms. Rocco is credited with establishing protocols for the investigation of missing child cases that have saved the lives of untold numbers of children and her fearlessness in high profile cases involving missing children earned her the recognition of governors, mayors and other high-ranking officials, who named a conference room after her at police headquarters, "Therese Rocco Conference Room;" and,
WHEREAS, Therese retired in 1994 after nearly fifty years and her career experiences can be found in her memoir titled "Therese Rocco, Pittsburgh's First Female Assistant Police Chief" which was released early Spring, 2017; and,
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby commend and honor Therese Rocco for her years of service to the City of Pittsburgh and her commitment in the face of adversity; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of...
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