Apr. 16, 1963 - “Operation Decoy,” the New York City program in which policemen dress as women to trap muggers, perverts, and rapists, will be accelerated this summer, John F. Walsh, first deputy commissioner of the Police Department, announced today. Mr. Walsh announced the plan at graduation ceremonies for 407 probationary patrolmen at the Seventh Regiment Armory, 66th Street and Park Avenue. “You are going on active patrol at a time of great demand and need,” he said. “The warm weather invites more people outdoors to use our public facilities and public resorts. Women and children particularly need your protection at this time of year.” The Tactical Patrol Force, which carries out the program, has been responsible for many arrests in its first year of operation. The decoy — a patrolman disguised as a woman — is usually followed at a short distance by two more patrolmen in street clothes.
