Nancy Hightshoe

Background

Nancy Hightshoe is a pioneer in both the areas of women in law enforcement and in teaching personal safety to all ages. Prior to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, police departments throughout the nation had only hired women for limited assignments. However, after Title VII was passed, Hightshoe became one of the first women in the nation to become a "street-cop" who patrolled all three shifts in a one-officer squad car. During her law enforcement career, Hightshoe was a range officer (shooting 299/300 with a .357 magnum), police academy instructor, in-service training officer, and she made many TV, radio, and in-person appearances. She represented the St. Louis County Police Department addressing the importance of citizen cooperation in clearing crimes and keeping their neighborhoods safe. She also presented programs on personal and business safety.

Hightshoe designed and implemented programming to initiate the Victims Service Council, a public service agency that assisted victims of serious crimes. She also initiated and wrote the grant which funded the [...] Assault Investigative Unit of the St. Louis County Police. This new unit increased felony [...] assault reporting and improved agency cooperation.

As a detective investigating felony [...] crimes, Hightshoe investigated more than 150 [...] crimes. She cleared 85% of her cases; the national average for clearing a [...] is 49%.

Education

  • M.A. in the Administration of Justice and in Human Relations from Webster University
  • B.A. in Psychology, magna cum laude, from the University of Missouri-St. Louis

Honors and Achievements

  • The World Who's Who of Women - Twelfth EDition, Cambridge, England
  • Who's Who in American Women - Sixteenth Edition, Wilmette, IL
  • Giraffe Project Commendation, November 1986 (Which reads: Whose courageous actions illumine all our lives, making manifest the Truth that people who believe in themselves and care for others can meet any challenge life presents)
  • Grand Jury Commendation, May, 1981
  • Webster University "Notable Alumna", 1997

In her own words: "The accomplishments that mean the most to me are proving that women could, indeed, be competent, effective law enforcement officers - and demonstrating that our feminine qualities, rather than being a drawback, enhanced our ability to perform well."

Where She is Today

Today Nancy is a speaker/trainer/coach who has designed 26 seminars on topics regarding business, human relations, and personal safety. She speaks to audiences all over the world, ranging from kindergarteners in the United States to business executives in Taiwan. She appears regularly as an on-camera personal safety expert and commentator for the St. Louis NBC affiliate television station, and also acts as an emcee for banquets/awards ceremonies and facilitates round table and panel discussions. As part of her focus on personal safety and self-defense, Nancy promotes the importance of and sells personal alarms.

Condensed Bibliography - Safety

Condensed Bibliographies - Business

References