Tag: Police History: Page 5

Tactical Officers Honor Two SWAT Pioneers

Attendees of the NTOA conference starting Sunday have the rare privilege to be in the presence of two living legends of SWAT. Ron McCarthy and John Kolman made SWAT the respected "profession within a profession" that it is today.

September 21, 2010

Know Your Enemy's History

One must understand our adversary's history and motivation in order to predict his future activities. Real intelligence opens the mind to why and how the adversary thinks, so we might be proactive rather than reactive to his attack.

July 28, 2010

History of America's First Motorized Patrol Vehicle

The Akron Police Department claims this historic distinction with an electric-powered patrol wagon produced in 1899.

May 18, 2010

The term 'squad car' likely came from early patrol days, when agencies used wagons to transport the whole squad. Image via Akron Police Department.

Miranda Warning Issues

Miranda warnings are triggered by a simple formula: Custody + Interrogation = The requirement for Miranda warnings. A motorist is not in "custody" for Miranda purposes when he or she is detained for an ordinary traffic stop.

May 10, 2010

Patrol Response 29

Ford Patrol: Through the Years

The Ford Motor Co.'s March announcement that it will introduce a new patrol car has been met with a high level of interest from officers who have been driving the Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor since the 1990s. Ford has been producing vehicles for law enforcement for almost 100 years. Here's a look at photos and ads through the years that feature the company's vehicles, beginning with a Model T police truck produced in 1919.

April 19, 2010

In 1919, Ford produced a Model T police truck (known by its slang term 'Paddy' wagon) that police departments used to transport inebriated revelers to a holding cell. The company had produced a similar field ambulance during World War I that was also a Model T.

Daryl Gates and the Origins of LAPD SWAT

He may not have invented SWAT. Yet Gates was intricately involved in its creation, and like all great leaders in organizations who are presented with a great idea, he provided the push needed to get it implemented.

April 15, 2010

Interfacing With the Mentally Ill

This 1960 documentary, "Booked for Safekeeping (Part I)" was made to train officers to help mentally ill and confused people. The film advocates that mentaly ill people be held in the least restrictive environment possible, particularly not in a jail cell unless absolutely essential. The film points out that there are often inadequate facilities and services to deal with such people, and that is why the job falls to the police.

December 3, 2009

Mentally Ill Vid 1

NYPD Patrol Vehicles

In this video, the history of the nation's largest law enforcement agency is told via slide factoids and pictures of NYPD patrol vehicles. It's called "NYPD: Over the Years."

December 2, 2009

Nypd Vehicles Vid 1

Classic Chevy Patrol Cars

This week's announcement that General Motors is bringing back the Chevy Caprice patrol car, an officer favorite it stopped producing in 1996, put the editors of POLICE Magazine in the mood to remember the Chevy patrol cars of years past. Chevy has a strong legacy in the patrol car market, and the reintroduction of the Caprice patrol car has excited officers who remember the hot pursuer of the 1990s. We'll start off with the 1954 Chevy Bel Air, a patrol car that was affordable and powerful.

October 6, 2009

Here's a precursor to the 1959 Chevy Biscayne that set a new standard for law enforcement vehicles with the specially tuned, policy only version with a 348-cubic-inch V8 capable of propelling the car to a then-impressive 135 mph. This is the hard-top, two-door 1954 Bel Air Sports Coupe. The vehicles were relatively cheap to purchase and powerful. Photo via Zanthia/Flickr.

History of America's First Traffic Ticket

Riding his Indian twin, Willis Seaman entered history when, in 1908, he became the first motorcycle cop to write a speeding citation.

August 31, 2009

Photo via bestpoems.ucoz.com.

Pioneering Women of the LAPD

The first female police officer in the country with arrest powers, Alice Stebbins Wells, arrived in 1910 with the Los Angeles Police Department. By 1937, the department employed 39 policewomen. Women are serving in most areas of the department; they have yet to crack the elite SWAT unit, but a 2008 report led to 12 women being accepted into the training program that feeds the unit. These photos, which show several of the pioneering police women of the department, have been provided by the Los Angeles Police Historical Society.

July 28, 2009

Police women at the LAPD's pistol range in 1948. Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Police Historical Society.

Police Shootouts: How Soon We Forget

Every day, police throughout America respond to dangerous situations that often turn into armed, deadly confrontations. When circumstances and time allow, police hold things down until SWAT arrives and takes over. At least that's the plan, but we all know about plans.

July 24, 2007

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