At the age of 23, Stacy Dittrich became the first female officer hired by her town in Ohio. In Stumbling Along the Beat, Dittrich reveals, for the first time, what she really faced when she put on her uniform and badge. In this uncensored account, she takes the reader behind the scenes to show the realities of life inside a local police department. She lays bare the discrimination she faced, the ugly politics within the department, and how she finally won the respect she deserved. Reflecting on her years of work in the sex crimes unit, Dittrich tells how she learned to keep her composure in the face of some of the most horrifying and heartbreaking crimes imaginable. Finally, she reveals her daily struggle to balance her work with her life as the mother of two young daughters and the wife of a fellow police officer, including the fear that when she kisses her family good-bye to go to work, it might be for the last time.

Funny, moving, and fast-paced, Stumbling Along the Beat is as unforgettable as it is eye-opening. Dittrich's story will obliterate any preconceived notions of what it means to be a cop, especially when you're also a woman.