Police Pioneer Adelina Raducha Dies at Age 50

One of Chicago Police Department’s first women patrol officers, Adelina Raducha, died February 21st at age 50. In 1980, she became the first Hispanic woman promoted to serve on the force as a detective after having worked undercover in the prostitution and narcotics divisions. Raducha retired from the force to become the superintendent of the 25th Ward. Sgt. Gillian McLaughlin, who began working with Raducha as one of the first fourteen women on the force in 1974, said of her, “She was a very dynamic individual, a fighter and a self-starter. She has been a role model for all us and an example of what a human being should be and strive for.”