First Recipient of the International Police Woman of the Year

Bessie Mae Watkins Matthews (9 May 1920 – 14 Jan 1998) started working in the 1950s, arresting several gang members by 1953. In 1974, she received the International Police Woman of the Year Award, the first recipient of this award, and in 1976, she received the Mary McLeod Bethune Award.

Indianapolis Police Department Officer Bessie Mae Watkins Matthews. Photo Courtesy IMPD Archives.
Officer Bessie Mae Watkins Matthews is buried in Section 100, Lot 297 with her husband Odie Watkins.