Constance Amelie Kopp (1878-1931) was the first female
undersheriff
An undersheriff (or under-sheriff) is an office derived from ancient English custom that remains in, among other places, England and Wales and the United States, though performing different functions.
United States
In American law enforcement, t ...
in the United States.
Early life
Constance Kopp was born in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. She later moved to a farm in
Wyckoff, New Jersey with her family which included her sister Norma. Kopp, who was unmarried, become pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl named Fleurette. The child was raised to believe that she was Constance's sister.
The three Kopp women are often referred to as The Kopp Sisters.
Career
In July 1914, Kopp's family buggy was struck in
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[Somerville, New Jersey
Somerville is a borough and the county seat of Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.][New Je ...]
. Ewing physically engaged Kopp, but she was able to get away. Police waiting nearby detained Ewing.
A handwriting sample obtained from Kaufman was soon determined to match the threatening letters sent to Kopp.
At trial, Kaufman was found guilty and fined $1,000.
Sheriff Robert Heath of
was impressed with Kopp's help in the case against Kaufman and made her his under sheriff. She was the first woman to hold such a position.
In November 1916, a republican sheriff was elected after which Kopp was fired and replaced. She challenged her dismissal claiming that the law protected the jobs of civil servants that were appointed by the previous political party. She was not successful.
In popular culture
In 2015, writer
Amy Stewart published ''Girl Waits With Gun'', a novel based on Kopp's life. The title comes from one of a number of newspaper headlines about Kopp's conflict with Kaufman. A series of novels followed.
It was announced in 2018 that Amazon is developing a series based on the novels.
Kopp's story was depicted in the 2016 "Siblings" episode of
Comedy Central's ''
Drunk History
''Drunk History'' is an American educational comedy television series produced by Comedy Central, based on the Funny or Die web series created by Derek Waters and Jeremy Konner in 2007. They and Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are the show's exec ...
''.
Constance was portrayed by
Rachel Bilson.
Further reading
Library of Congress: Topics in Chronicling America - Miss Constance Kopp: Girl Detective and Demon Sheriff
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kopp, Constance
1878 births
1931 deaths
Women in law enforcement
People from Brooklyn
People from Wyckoff, New Jersey