Norwood Woman Files Discrimination Complaint Against State Police-August 9, 1973

Boston State College Graduate and Prospective Criminology Student Challenges 5-Foot-9 and 150-Pound Minimums After Application Rejection

A Norwood woman who was barred from taking the state police examination and subsequently charged the state police with sex discrimination explained her position and the events that led to her filing. Joann Alighieri of 15 Albemarle Road filed a formal complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) last Thursday, charging the state police with sex discrimination. The 27-year-old Alighieri explained that her application to take the test for a position as a state policeman was rejected because she failed to meet the strict physical requirements of 5 feet, 9 inches in height and 150 pounds in weight. Alighieri stands 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 105 pounds, and she had sought a role working with juveniles and conducting investigative work. “That doesn’t require someone 5 feet 9, or shouldn’t,” remarked Alighieri, who plans to begin working toward a master’s degree in criminology at Northeastern University in September.

The journey began in April when Alighieri first explored law enforcement careers. After discovering that Boston civil service exams had already concluded, she contacted the highway safety department of the state police requesting an application and was informed they were considering hiring eight women. Upon receiving the application and noticing the height and weight restrictions, she consulted State Representative Alan P. Danovitch (R-Norwood), who instructed her to fill out the paperwork anyway on the assumption the rules might only apply to male applicants. When she received a formal rejection letter, Danovitch advised her to file with the MCAD. Alighieri noted she was also informed she might be able to bring a lawsuit under the Civil Rights Act, though she filed the initial complaint on her own. “Everyone has the old cliché idea of policemen and policewomen that they have to be in uniform,” Alighieri stated. “I do not want to go into it for glory.” A graduate of Boston State College who worked as an unpaid deputy probation officer for Norfolk County and served as a substitute teacher in Norwood schools from January to June, Alighieri turned to the state police after facing a scarcity of teaching positions.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger