Zanesville’s first female police officer

In July, 1948, The Zanesville News informed its readers that a public service position was open: “Examination for the position of police woman for Zanesville will be conducted at 7 p.m. Friday, July 30, by the local civil service commission in council chambers.

“Those seeking the job must be qualified to type and take dictation and must be between 21 and 30 years of age. Applications are available at the mayor’s office and the fee is $1.”

The Aug. 2, 1948 edition of the Times Recorder displayed the pictures of two ladies. The caption stated: “Two young women have taken civil service examinations for the position of policewoman… They are Miss Mary Ellen Chapman, 166 Brighton Boulevard, a clerk at Roberts Jewelry store, and Miss Bonnie Arter, 1547 Adamsville Road, stenographer for the Market insurance agency.”

On Aug. 6 the News announced the winner: “Bonnie Jean Arter, 26, ... was named policewoman today by Arthur Shiplett, safety director.” Miss Arter had won the right to replace a local legend.

Lena Camden, a native of Buffalo, New York, was born on Oct. 12, 1886. After living in Pittsburgh and later in Caldwell, she and her two small children, Ted and Mary Kathryn, came to Zanesville in 1916. She attended Meredith Business College and then worked in the law office of Abbe Jones, and in the early 1920s she became Zanesville’s first Municipal Court stenographer.

Mrs. Camden was appointed to Zanesville’s police force in 1928: “Mrs. Lena Camden, of 622 Shinnick Street, has the distinction of being Zanesville’s first and only police woman. She was appointed to the department on May 14, 1928, by Dr. W.P. Wells, who served as safety director under Mayor William Webster. Joe Pettit was chief of police. Her appointment was the only one made that year,” The Signal reported.

She would serve in that post for 20 years. Eventually fellow officers would affectionately call her “ Major” or “Grandma.” Soon after taking the position she became one of the most popular officers on the force.

When she retired in 1948, the Sunday Times Signal said, in part: “To all outward appearances, it was a joyful occasion at (the) police station yesterday as members of the police gathered about Mrs. Lena Camden to wish her good luck and present her with a set of luggage and a monogrammed jewelry case.

“Mrs. Camden, who is retiring on pension, is the first and only policewoman Zanesville ever had. For 12 years she walked a beat at night, visiting taverns and dance halls in an attempt to curb the progress of juvenile delinquency. In recent years her job has been confined mostly to office work –– the preparation of warrants and the keeping of police records and reports.”

Because of ill health Mrs. Camden then “… went to Arizona where she took a job as radio operator for the Glendale Police Department, a position which she held for three years before returning to Zanesville.

“Later (in Zanesville) she held a part-time job in the Office of Aid to Dependent Children.”

Besides being the city’s first female police officer, “She was the first woman to serve as state secretary of the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio and was secretary and treasurer of both the Zanesville chapter of Fraternal Order of Police and the Fraternal Order of Police Associates,” the TR reported in 1959.

Upon her return from Arizona Mrs. Camden lived at the Clarendon Hotel until March of 1958, when she moved to the Lighthizer Rest Home at 533 Glendale Avenue. She died on April 15, 1959: “Funeral services for Mrs. Lena Camden, 72, Zanesville’s first policewoman, will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday (April 18th) in the Hillis Funeral Home with the Rev. A. Dale Sowers officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park.

On Sunday, April 19, 1959, the Zanesville Times Signal gave a touching remembrance of Mrs. Camden: “Mrs. Lena Camden, who was many things to many people, died this week, leaving scores of friends to mourn her passing.

“She was Zanesville’s first policewoman and served in that capacity for 20 years. Ever pleasant and persuasive, she devoted her time largely to the aid of women in need of guidance and to the patrolling of places off-limits for minors.

“She made arrests when the occasion demanded, but mostly she assumed the role of guardian, adviser and sympathizer to those who needed to be herded in the right direction.

“After her retirement from the force, Mrs. Camden maintained her interest in the affairs of the police department and the city in general.

“A kindly and gracious woman, she pioneered many of the methods used in police work today.

“Her death creates a void, not only in her family circle but (in) the city at large.”

Lewis LeMaster, of Zanesville, is a historian and retired teacher.