Mary Shanley was born in Ireland in 1896.  After immigrating to America with her family, she eventually became an undercover policewoman in New York City.  She specialized in single-handedly bringing down thieves and con artists on the city streets.  Mary appeared to be an average middle-aged, matronly figure but could take a man down by herself.  In 1934, when the NYPD required their female officers to carry guns, Mary became the 1st policewoman in NYPD history to use a gun during a capture and arrest.  She typically only had to shoot into the air to get offenders to hit the floor.  By the time she retired, Mary had been promoted to  detective and had made more than 1,000 arrests.

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