Officer Forrest "Dino" Taylor
Decorated Baltimore police officer dies months after crash
17 year veteran was responding to a call
September 05, 2012
|By Luke Broadwater, The Baltimore Sun
Baltimore police are mourning the death of a decorated officer who died last week after complications from surgery stemming from a Feb.18 on-duty car accident. Officer Forrest "Dino" Taylor, 44, of Annapolis, died Aug. 29 after undergoing the latest in a series of medical procedures. He had been injured in a crash at a stoplight in Mount Vernon while responding to a call. "Each and every day Officer Forrest 'Dino' Taylor and his fellow officers place their lives on the line to make our neighborhoods safer," Police Commissioner-designee Anthony W. Batts said in a statement. "We will never forget Officer Taylor's dedication and commitment to making downtown Baltimore a better place to live and work." On Feb. 18 at 5:50 a.m., Taylor activated the lights and siren in his police cruiser and traveled through a red light in the 600 block of Guilford Avenue in Mount Vernon while on the way to assist another officer, according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Taylor's vehicle was hit by a sports utility vehicle driving through a green light, police said. The cruiser struck a pole and fire hydrant and came to rest in the 500 block of Guilford, police said. Officers filed no citations against the driver of the SUV. The officer was not found at fault, either. Police are taught to use caution when driving through red lights in emergency situations, but that does not always prevent crashes, Guglielmi said. "This was just a tragic, tragic accident," he said. A 17-year veteran of the department, Taylor worked in jobs throughout the agency, including stints as a homicide detective in 2003 and a violent crimes investigator in 2008. He received four commendations from the department, including three for his work with a task force that in 2000 served 4,500 warrants and cleared 150 percent of cases (that calculation includes cases from previous years). Taylor was best known for walking his foot post in the downtown community, police said. He is survived by his wife and two children. "Officer Taylor backed up the quality of his service with his life," Guglielmi said. "He was responding in an emergency capacity to help a complete stranger. It's a sobering reminder of what police officers do every day." Taylor is the fourth Baltimore police officer to die in the line of duty since 2010. His funeral service is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen at 5200 N. Charles Street.
More Details
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| End of Watch | 29 August, 2012 |
| City, St. | Baltimore, Md |
| Panel Number | 25-E: 28 |
| Cause of Death | Auto Accident |
| District Worked | Central |
Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.
Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
Lieutenant William P. Thompson
Click HERE to Hear Audio File
W. P. Thompson, Policeman, Dies
The Sun (1837-1989); May 28, 1956; pg. 13
Police Lieutenant William P. Thompson, 48, of 372 Marydell Rd., died early [27 May 1956] yesterday, apparently of heart trouble, while on duty, and in a patrol car within the South-West District. He was slumped over the steering wheel when found at 3:35 am by Sgt. Walter Jasper, at Fayette and Stricker Streets. Police said, Lieutenant Thompson had been receiving treatment for a heart condition but was cleared for duty. He had left the Southwestern Station House (Located at Calhoun Street and Pratt Streets ) at about 3:30 am after helping a patrolman make an arrest, police said.
Natives of Baltimore, Maryland
A native of Baltimore, Lieutenant Thompson lived here all his life, joining the Police Department 17 May, 1933. He was promoted to Sgt. on 10 February, 1948, and then to Lieutenant on 28 December, 1950. He was assigned to the Eastern District after his appointment and to the Northeast District when he was promoted to Lieutenant. He had been at the southwestern district for about four years, police said. Lieutenant Thompson is survived by his wife, Mrs. Doris M. Thompson: a daughter, Mrs. Frederick Glover: a brother, Joseph P. Thompson, and three sisters, Mrs. Anna Rivers, Mrs. Margaret Headle, and Mrs. Marie Rann. All lived in Baltimore. The body is at the Walters Funeral Home, Pratt and Stricker Streets. The Requiem Mass will be offered tomorrow at 10:00 am at St. Joseph Monastery Church, Loudoun Street, and Old Frederick Road. Burial will be in Loudon Park Cemetery.
More details
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| End of Watch | 27 May 1956 |
| City, St. | Fayette and Stricker Streets |
| Panel Number | N/A |
| Cause of Death | Heart Attack |
| District Worked | Southwestern |
POLICE INFORMATION
Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and/or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and/or Brochures. Information on deceased officers and anything that may help preserve the history and proud traditions of this agency. Please contact retired detective Kenny Driscoll.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to honor the fine men and women who have served with honor and distinction at the Baltimore Police Department. Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History: Ret Det. Kenny Driscoll
Officer William H. Torbit Jr.
Witnesses: Slain officer overwhelmed by crowd, police fired as he lay on ground. Police say 41 shots fired in incident outside club Sunday
From a Franklin Street apartment, a university employee and her roommate have a broad view of the nightclub parking lot where police say six people were shot Sunday—an incident that left a plainclothes police officer and a 22-year-old man dead. As an unusually large crowd attracted a significant police presence, the two opened a window and watched the events that led up to the shooting outside the Select Lounge in the 400 block of N. Paca St. The women, both 26, saw the plainclothes officer get overwhelmed by an unruly crowd, then watched as two uniformed officers opened fire while he lay on the ground. The women also saw the pained reaction of the slain officer's partners once they realized what had happened. It's a scene they haven't been able to get out of their minds. "I've never seen somebody killed," the university employee said Monday. City police have not given a detailed account of the night's events, saying the investigation will take three weeks to complete. There are dozens of witnesses, and police are seeking to piece together those accounts along with physical evidence and surveillance camera footage. However, the women's account is in line with what police sources think actually happened, and when combined with their information, it provides a vivid account of the chaotic incident. Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III confirmed at an afternoon news conference that no civilian weapons were fired and said five officers, including slain Officer William H. Torbit Jr., fired a total of 41 rounds during the incident. Bealefeld said the police were "committed to conducting a comprehensive and thorough investigation." "We must understand it, learn from it, and emerge better," he said. "We owe it to all the victims to be thorough and complete and only release confirmed facts." Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the shooting "raises a lot of questions" and that she and Bealefeld are open to an external review of the incident following the Police Department's internal review. The university employee, who did not want her name or school made public, and her roommate, Lakeisha Hutcherson, said in separate interviews with The Baltimore Sun that the incident unfolded about 1:15 a.m. According to the roommates, they first noticed a group of women walking to their cars outside the club when a vehicle began to pull out and almost hit one of them. One of the women became angry and began to hit the car with her shoe, trying to attack the driver, and a man in a pink shirt attempted to calm them down. The driver was able to pull off, but the woman remained agitated. A man—who the roommates would later learn was Torbit, 33—walked over, wearing a brown or black jacket. Neither woman said they saw a badge, though they said he might have been wearing one. Police say Torbit, a narcotics officer, was on-duty and in plainclothes. Normally an officer on such an assignment would not be working crowd control, but he had been called to the scene after dispatchers put out a "Signal 13"—that code, for an officer in distress, typically draws scores of officers looking to help. Officers at the scene were trying to deal with fights inside that spilled out of the recently opened club, and Torbit found himself in the middle of the fracas. "I thought he was just a guy trying to break up the altercation," the university employee said. "He was telling them, 'Stop. Go home.'" Hutcherson added: "He was trying to push people out of the way, trying to stop the fight. He was trying to make peace, and it seemed like some guys took it wrong." In a flash, they said, a large crowd began fighting and "overtook" the plainclothes officer, who disappeared in a sea of people. Sean Gamble, the 22-year-old victim, has been named by family members. His brother told The Baltimore Sun Sunday night that Gamble had witnessed Torbit being aggressive toward a woman and that Gamble started arguing with him. That escalated to an altercation, the brother said. The women say that is not what they saw. "I didn't see [the plainclothes officer] being aggressive with her—she was aggressive," the university employee said. "It looked like he was trying to break it up, to stop it from escalating. I don't even know how the other guys got involved." Then the women saw two uniformed officers approach and heard a shot. They aren't sure who fired the shot—it was not the uniformed officers, the roommates said—and none of those fighting seemed to react. It is believed that the shot came from Torbit's weapon, though police said they are checking ballistics to confirm that. A few seconds later, a second shot went off, the roommates said, and people started running.
Officer One Of Two Killed At Club
Sources: Police Investigating Whether Shooting Was Friendly Fire
Baltimore Sun reporter Timothy Wheeler contributed to this article
Justin Fenton
Jan 10, 2011
Baltimore police officers might have shot and killed a fellow officer and an unarmed man after observing the officer draw his weapon while trying to quell a disturbance outside a club near downtown early Sunday, according to law enforcement sources and a relative of one of the victims. Police released few details about the circumstances of the shooting, but they described a chaotic scene outside the Select Lounge in the 400 block of N. Paca St., with fights spilling out of the club and into the street around 1:15 a.m. "There was an altercation that took place very near the club, and some officers worked to intercede in that fight, at which time some gunshots were discharged," said Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III. "Several officers fired multiple shots." Sources said Officer William H. Torbit Jr., 33, an eight-year veteran, and 22-year-old Sean Gamble, a semi-professional football player who had no criminal record, were killed in the gunfire. Four others—a second officer and three women—were wounded, police said. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, three law enforcement sources briefed on the case spoke on the condition of anonymity. They claimed that witnesses told detectives that Torbit was wearing plainclothes and was under attack from a group of people. Police said his badge apparently came off during the scuffle. It is believed that the officers who responded to the scene shot at him after he drew his weapon, said the law enforcement sources and the victim's relative, who was also a witness. Gamble's brother, James Gamble, who was at the club, said he saw Torbit, who he believed was off-duty, acting aggressively toward a woman. His brother started arguing with the officer, and the discussion escalated, said Gamble, 24. He said a group of uniformed officers began firing on the crowd when the plainclothes officer reached for his service weapon. "It was a crazy scene," Gamble said. "They let off a good 20 shots, maybe six [officers]. They were just shooting." Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed Sunday evening that police were exploring whether officers had shot another officer in the midst of the chaotic situation. He said no civilian weapons had been recovered. The violence comes on the heels of a number of high-profile incidents downtown, many of them connected to the city's nightlife. In March, two people were shot outside the Velvet Rope, a club that police have pushed to shut down. A month before that, a security guard was fatally shot on Light Street, and in June, an off-duty police officer was charged with fatally shooting an unarmed man during an altercation outside a Mount Vernon club. A Marine, celebrating before his redeployment to Afghanistan, was fatally shot at a downtown hookah bar in July, and a city police officer was shot and wounded in November after approaching an armed man near the city's adult entertainment district. An off-duty Baltimore detective was killed in October when he was hit in the head during an argument over a parking space in Canton. "This is an absolutely horrible incident," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said of Sunday's shootings. "I prayed we would never lose another officer, but here we are again." Torbit's death comes four years to the day after Officer Troy Lamont Chesley was killed during an attempted carjacking. Chesley was the last officer to die in an attack while on duty. Since the 2008 death of off-duty officer Norman Stamp at a bar in Southeast Baltimore, if police find that Torbit died as a result of friendly fire, it would be the first such incident. Police said at the time that officers responding to a call about a fight encountered Stamp, whom they didn't recognize as a fellow officer, wearing brass knuckles, and shot him when he reached for his weapon. Stamp's widow last year lost a civil lawsuit filed against the officer who shot her husband. Police would not confirm Torbit's identity Sunday, and police union officials said they were waiting for the department to formally identify the officer before commenting on his death. News of Torbit's death stunned his next-door neighbor, Fafo Asres, who called the officer "a very nice person" who had helped maintain his neighborhood off Rolling Road in western Baltimore County. Torbit cleaned up trash and debris on the street and offered to haul waste items away in his truck for other residents, Asres said.
Torbit had also kidded around with Asres' children, the neighbor said. "My kids love him and call him 'Uncle Will,'" Asres said, adding that Torbit was "a very good example" for young people. Though Torbit apparently lived alone, his neighbor described the officer as a "family man," with a number of relatives in the area. "He was there for his family," Asres said. Asres said that he last saw Torbit on New Year's Eve and that the officer had told him he was working that night. "I'm just sad," Asres said. Gamble's relatives, meanwhile, said they believed police acted recklessly in firing on the crowd outside the nightclub. Corey Brown, 31, who said he is Sean Gamble's godbrother, said Sunday night that Gamble had a young child and was engaged to be married. Brown said Gamble worked for a waste management company and had no criminal record, a fact confirmed by a search of court records. "He's not a violent kid; he's not in the streets," said Brown, who was not at the club early Sunday morning. "He's not even cut from that cloth. Apparently he got into a fight, and the cops started shooting. Not in the air, in the crowd, and they shot him." James Gamble said that the shots sent clubgoers running in every direction and that he located his brother underneath a vehicle. Sean Gamble had been shot in the chest, he said. James Gamble and dozens of others were detained for questioning by police. Sean Gamble, who went to Woodlawn High School, was a member of the Baltimore Saints semi-pro football league, playing linebacker and wearing number 56. Brown said Sean Gamble had a "huge heart and was really a person you wanted to be around." "He was loyal, loyal to the death," Brown said. At a news conference outside the Maryland Shock Trauma Center before sunrise Sunday, police said they could not say what prompted the officers to fire or whether anyone other than the officers had fired a gun. "We're a few hours into this whole ordeal, and we have scores of detectives working on the case, processing evidence, and interviewing witnesses," Bealefeld said. "We have a ton of work to do to put together the facts of what happened." The police had a few additional details to offer later Sunday. The detectives were reviewing surveillance camera footage and other physical evidence. Select Lounge opened late in October, a few blocks north of Lexington Market, and has sought to attract an upscale crowd. Its Facebook page describes a strict dress code and boasts of a VIP lounge for the "ultimate in discreet experiences" for "sophisticated club connoisseurs, savvy socialites, A-list celebrities, and Baltimore's [sic] elite." Ravens player Dannell Ellerbe chose the club to celebrate his birthday in December. At the scene Sunday morning, police tape blocked a parking lot adjacent to the Select Lounge that was still full of cars as detectives interviewed clubgoers at police headquarters. A "VIP Parking" sandwich board lay in the street. By afternoon, all that remained in the parking lot were empty liquor bottles and scattered fliers for coming events at nightspots around the city. Calls made to a phone number for the club's owners were not immediately returned. "What we need to figure out is what sparked the shooting," said Guglielmi. "Was there a weapon drawn by a civilian? Was the officer's weapon taken? We've got to put together a timeline and figure out what happened." On Twitter, people lamented Baltimore's continuing nightlife violence. "I can't even go out anymore," one person wrote. Another said, "This has to stop."
Baltimore Sun reporter Timothy Wheeler contributed to this article.
Credit: The Baltimore Sun
Pair Say Police Officer
41 Shots were fired in Incident outside Nightclub
Jan 11, 2011
From a Franklin Street apartment, a university employee and her roommate have a broad view of the nightclub parking lot where police say six people were shot Sunday—an incident that left a plainclothes police officer and a 22-year-old man dead. As an unusually large crowd attracted a significant police presence, the two opened a window and watched the events that led up to the shooting outside the Select Lounge in the 400 block of N. Paca St. The women, both 26, saw the plainclothes officer get overwhelmed by an unruly crowd, then watched as two uniformed officers opened fire while he lay on the ground. The women also saw the pained reaction of the slain officer's partners once they realized what had happened. It's a scene they haven't been able to get out of their minds. "I've never seen somebody killed," the university employee said Monday. City police have not given a detailed account of the night's events, saying the investigation will take three weeks to complete. There are dozens of witnesses, and police are seeking to piece together those accounts along with physical evidence and surveillance camera footage. However, the women's account is in line with what police sources think actually happened, and when combined with their information, it provides a vivid account of the chaotic incident. Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III confirmed at an afternoon news conference that no civilian weapons were fired and said five officers, including slain officer William H. Torbit Jr., fired a total of 41 rounds during the incident. Bealefeld said the police were "committed to conducting a comprehensive and thorough investigation." "We must understand it, learn from it, and emerge better," he said. "We owe it to all the victims to be thorough and complete and only release confirmed facts." Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the shooting "raises a lot of questions" and that she and Bealefeld are open to an external review of the incident following the Police Department's internal review. The university employee, who did not want her name or school made public, and her roommate, Lakeisha Hutcherson, said in separate interviews with The Baltimore Sun that the incident unfolded about 1:15 a.m. According to the roommates, they first noticed a group of women walking to their cars outside the club when a vehicle began to pull out and almost hit one of them. One of the women became angry and began to hit the car with her shoe, trying to attack the driver, and a man in a pink shirt attempted to calm them down. The driver was able to pull off, but the woman remained agitated. A man—who the roommates would later learn was Torbit, 33—walked over, wearing a brown or black jacket. Neither woman said they saw a badge, though they said he might have been wearing one. Police say Torbit, a narcotics officer, was on-duty and in plainclothes. Normally an officer on such an assignment would not be working crowd control, but he had been called to the scene after dispatchers put out a "Signal"13"—that code, for an officer in distress, typically draws scores of officers looking to help. Officers at the scene were trying to deal with fights inside that spilled out of the recently opened club, and Torbit found himself in the middle of the fracas. "I thought he was just a guy trying to break up the altercation," the university employee said. "He was telling them, 'Stop. Go home.' " Hutcherson added: "He was trying to push people out of the way, trying to stop the fight. He was trying to make peace, and it seemed like some guys took it wrong." In a flash, they said, a large crowd began fighting and "overtook" the plainclothes officer, who disappeared in a sea of people. Sean Gamble, the 22-year-old victim, has been named by family members. His brother told The Baltimore Sun Sunday night that Sean Gamble had witnessed Torbit being aggressive toward a woman and that Gamble started arguing with him. That escalated to an altercation, the brother said. The women say that is not what they saw. "I didn't see [the plainclothes officer] being aggressive with her; she was aggressive," the university employee said. "It looked like he was trying to break it up, to stop it from escalating. I don't even know how the other guys got involved." Then the women saw two uniformed officers approach and heard a shot. They aren't sure who fired the shot—it was not the uniformed officers, the roommates said—and none of those fighting seemed to react. It is believed that the shot came from Torbit's weapon, though police said they are checking ballistics to confirm that. A few seconds later, a second shot went off, the roommates said, and people started running. Hutcherson left the window to check on her young daughter, but her roommate continued watching. The university employee said the man in the dark jacket was lying on his back, his arms splayed out. She could not see a weapon, though police said there's no indication that his gun was taken from him at any point during the fight. "The [plainclothes officer] was... on his back, and two uniformed officers took a couple steps back and just fired at him while he was lying on the ground," the university employee said. Hutcherson, who heard multiple gunshots, recounted how her roommate relayed to her what was happening: "She said, 'Oh my God, they're killing him. He's not even moving; he's laying on the ground with his hands up.' " "Another cop, a heavy-set guy with 'Police' on his back, was screaming [expletives]," she said. "A cop in a brown hoodie fell to his knees, and that's when we knew [the victim] was a cop." A third witness, 39-year-old Jacques Steptoe, said Monday that he had been watching the crowd from his fourth-floor window at a nearby nursing home on North Paca Street. He has been recovering from surgery and couldn't sleep that night, he said. From his vantage point, catty-corner to the roommates' apartment, he said he believed someone sprayed Mace and that Torbit whipped his right arm around, gripping his service weapon, and fired a shot into the crowd. When the uniformed officers saw that, they began opening fire, causing him to fall back. "He fell down with the gun in his hand just like that," Steptoe said, bringing his arms over his head. He said he saw "five or six" officers then approach Torbit, some of them still shooting. At Monday's news conference, police identified the officers who fired their weapons as Harry Dodge, 37, an 11-year veteran; Harry Pawley, 40, a 17-year veteran; Toyia Williams, 36, a 13-year veteran; and Latora Craig, 30, a nine-year veteran. Dodge was shot in the foot, police said. Only Craig has ever discharged her weapon before, said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Her gun fired into a wall during a struggle for the weapon with a suspect in July 2010. She was cleared and returned to duty. Dodge, Pawley, Williams, and Craig have been placed on routine administrative suspension with pay pending an investigation and have not given statements about the shooting. Michael Davey, an attorney for the Fraternal Order of Police, said the officers do not have to speak with investigators because the case, like all police-involved shootings - is considered a criminal investigation. But he said all of the officers intend to speak with detectives in the coming days. As Torbit lay on the ground, a law enforcement source said, an off-duty medic who was among the clubgoers began tending to him. The roommates said they saw officers pick up Torbit by his arms and legs and carry him to the back seat of a car. The car was surrounded by hordes of people, but the officers eventually were able to drive off, taking him to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead. Meanwhile, a group of people was advancing on the uniformed officers who had fired their weapons, apparently angry at what they had observed, and officers began deploying Tasers and slamming people onto the hoods of cars. "It was out of control," Hutcherson said. A few feet away, they noticed another victim: Sean Gamble. The waste management worker, who has no criminal record, was lying under a car that appeared to be trying to pull away. They said Gamble, whose brother says he was shot in the chest, remained there for what seemed like 30 minutes before an ambulance came. They saw medics pumping his chest. "We're right near Maryland General University Hospital, and no one came for a long time," Hutcherson said. Fire Department officials did not respond to a request for records that would show how long it took for medics to respond. The roommates continued to watch the incident unfold. They said crime scene technicians did not arrive until 4 a.m., with people leaving the club "trampling" on the crime scene. Neither woman has called police to report what they saw; both said they are fearful of officers after observing the incident and the police response. But they said they wanted the public to know what they saw. "I didn't know it was a cop, but no one deserves to be shot at like that," the university employee said. "I felt like it was ridiculously excessive and unnecessary. There was no need for that shooting to happen."
twitter.com/justin_fenton
Baltimore Sun reporters Julie Scharper and Yeganeh June Torbati contributed to this article.
More details
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| End of Watch | 9 January, 2011 |
| City, St. | 400 block of N. Paca St. |
| Panel Number | 42-W: 28 |
| Cause of Death | Gunfire |
| District Worked | Central |
POLICE INFORMATION
If you have copies of: your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department. Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
Baltimore City Police Tactical Unit
Officer L.J. Campbell demonstrates the "Pepper Fogger", a gasoline powered engine which can spray tear gas (CN/CS) or smoke or a combination to disperse large unruly crowds. Proved very effective by this agency in many situations.
In 1963 The Baltimore City Police Department created the Emergency Vehicle Unit (AKA:) CP-11 and CP-12. There were thirteen original officers. Lt Gil Karner, Sgt Cockrell, Officer Howard Lindsay; Officer Phil Walters; officer Al Borem; Officer Ellis Balwin; Officer Donald Fields; Officer Donald Posey; Officer Bob Fisher; Officer Luther Robinson; Officer Harwood Burret; Officer Bob Beseski; Officer Fred Lutheart. Flight Officer Lt. Harry W. White who was a Tuskegee Airman during the war, and Andrew McNamara.
Harry W. White III
Harry (1924-1990) was the grandson of Harry W. White, Sr. and Laura Hilliard White and the son of of Harry W. White, Jr. (1884-????) and Mary Wesley White (????-????). He was a single-engine pilot in the famed 99th Fighter Squadron during World War II. He, also, rose from Patrolman to Lieutenant in the Traffic Division of the Baltimore City Police Department. Harry W. White City police lieutenant Services for Harry W. White, a retired lieutenant in the Baltimore Police Department who had been a World War II fighter pilot, will be held at 11:30 a.m. today at the St. James United Methodist Church, Lexington and Monroe streets. Mr. White, who was 66 and lived on Burleith Avenue, died Sunday at Sinai Hospital after a stroke. He retired in 1985 as a lieutenant in the Traffic Division, where he spent most of his 28-year police career. Before World War II he worked for the Glenn L. Martin Co., and afterward he worked for the post office. During the war, he was a pilot in the 99th Fighter Squadron of the Army Air Forces after completing training at the Tuskegee Institute. A native of Baltimore, he was a graduate of Dunbar High School and took traffic courses at Northwestern University. Mr. White is survived by his wife, the former Pauline C. Loving of West Baltimore; three daughters, Linda Perdie and Wanda A. White, both of Baltimore, and Pauline Chandler of Los Angeles; two sons, Donald Matthews and Craig J. White, both of Baltimore; four sisters, Marceline Sitney, Laura White, Mary B. Carter and Bertha W. May, all of Baltimore; and seven grandchildren.
Lt Harry W. White III
Tuskegee Airmen Archive Photo
Red Tails Continue to Fly in the 99th Flying Training Squadron
Flying out of Randolph Air Force Base in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen
COURTESY MAJOR ROBERT DiSTEFANO
EVU: The Unusual Is Normal
August 1971
Then there was the one about the man who reached into the side pocket to retrieve the proverbial eight ball and wound up behind it when his hand became stuck. A hilarious situation provided it's not your hand, but one which the men of the Department's Emergency Vehicle Unit have handled before. The happy ending involves a partially dismantled pool table, and at least one red-faced, swollen-wristed, temporarily retired pool shooter. The Tactical Section's Emergency Vehicle Unit daily handles requests for service that range from amusing to near tragic and beyond. Each of the Unit's fifteen men are well experienced in life and limb saving techniques, and through the years each has had ample opportunity to demonstrate his ability. The vehicles themselves are stocked with every conceivable tool. Ropes, tranquilizer guns for wounded or sick animals; ladders and lights, portable generators, railroad jacks, picks, shovels and gas masks are just a small sample of the equipment carried. But if the tools and their types are varied, it is because of the varied responsibilities of the men who must use them. On the average, the CP series units respond to twenty-five hundred calls for service a year; calls that can take them anywhere in the city, from Homeland to Fells Point; to render almost any type of public service. A city the size of Baltimore can annually supply more people caught in machinery or in bathtubs or on roofs or under automobiles or inside of them for any number of reasons than can quickly be brought to mind. Then there are the lock calls: people locked out-side of places or people locked inside, under or on top of places. Then, of course, there are precious pets perched atop leafy elms or maples. Or in storm drains. Briefly, the EVU personnel can encounter just about any kind of situation on a given call. So the men themselves must be the Unit's prime asset. They must, above all, be stronger and in better physical shape than the average policeman. But they must also possess a practical knowledge of a wide variety of tools and their uses. There is little time for hesitation, consideration or refresher when a life is in jeopardy Many times, in fact, there is time only to grab the necessary tool and take the necessary action immediately. The average age of the Unit's men is about thirty-five. Most have had a wide experience with mechanics in previous employments. Some even served as Medics in the Armed Forces before entering the Department. All have been trained and retrained in a number of courses that are pertinent to their demanding jobs. Personnel of the Unit have successfully passed courses offered by the U. S. Army's Edgewood Arsenal. All are familiar with the fundamentals of crowd control, and have been given -advanced firearms training at the Department's Education and Training Division. Several of the personnel have passed Civil Defense courses on Shelter Management and the handling of Radiological materials. Not only do Unit personnel attend courses; on occasion they instruct others. Periodically, men of the Unit train Officers from the Department's Districts and Tactical Section in the use and handling of crowd control equipment. In the past, such instruction was also given to personnel of the Baltimore City Jail. Like the rest of the Department, the Emergency Vehicle Unit functions as a public service. Unless on an emergency call, they have never failed to stop and assist stranded motorists and literally hundreds of commendatory letters from citizens have attested to that strong sense of public service. On numerous occasions the CP units have prevented vandalism or theft by responding to fires, break-ins and simple unlocked doors and boarding up the premises. Their wide range of activity has involved them in a number of strange situations. Responding to a burglary in progress call some years ago, the Officers were surprised to find the burglar caught in the intricate iron work of an ancient fireplace down which he had attempted to escape. Administering the more practical aspects of their chosen profession, the Officers neatly extricated the man, then arrested him. There are grimmer aspects. On occasion the CP's have been needed to extricate victims of accidents from the inside of twisted automobile wreckage: a job that requires great strength, infinite patience, and tenderness; attributes no number of tools can supply. During disturbances, men of the EVU are also held responsible for setting up and staffing Command Post and equipping them with working communications equipment. Often they must be the first unit on the scene to aid in the coordination and movement of other units. Besides their other activities, personnel of the unit also actively patrol Fort Smallwood and Lake Roland on a permanent basis. Characteristically, men of the EVU are the direct-approach type, who seldom have the time to study a situation in depth before taking action. Several years ago, two of them were taking part in an Army-sponsored course at the Edgewood Arsenal. As a kind of final examination the members were told to enter a house whose complete structure had been expertly booby-trapped with simulated mines. Rising to the challenge, EVU personnel penetrated the house's outer defenses in a matter of minutes without tripping a single device. Then came the part that separated talented amateurs from professionals: actual entry Realizing that the doorknob was mined the students bypassed it with refreshing simplicity by taking the door off its hinges, immediately gaining both entry to the house and a high passing grade in the course.
Courtesy Lt. Don Healy
Photo courtesy Herb Moseley
BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Emergency Unit
The Baltimore Police Department, Special Services Division coordinated with Hackney to design a special support vehicle for special response incidents within the city. The vehicle supports all types of emergencies, responds with all SWAT incidents, barricade and hostage situations and assist the fire department with rescue operations. It is staffed by specially trained officers who use the vehicle for routine patrol while awaiting special services calls. “It never sits still,” stated Sgt. Bob Kraszmer, project director. The specially designed body is 15-ft long and mounted on an International 4400 extended cab chassis . The front environmentally controlled compartment features a small command center and interior secured weapons storage cabinet with roll-up doors. The exterior compartments are accessed via seven (7) roll-up doors. There are two (2) compartments on the roof for storage of roof ladders and equipment. Special compartments are provided over the rear axle for quick deployment of bunkers and shields, stokes basket stretcher and backboards. All other space is arranged with slide-out trays and shelving. Power is provided by a 25,000 watt Onan PTO generator. It powers flood lighting and cord reels. Receives are mounted under the front and rear bumper for attachment of a portable winch or rope tie-off rings.
POLICE INFORMATION
Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
If you come into possession of Police items from an Estate or Death of a Police Officer Family Member and do not know how to properly dispose of these items please contact: Retired Detective Ken Driscoll - Please dispose of POLICE Items: Badges, Guns, Uniforms, Documents, PROPERLY so they won’t be used IMPROPERLY. Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department. Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
Capt. William J. Forrest
Sgt Wm. Forrest 1907 (The Father)
It turns out that there are two entrance on duty dates, making this a father and son team even though it was presented to me as though it were just one person. The son, who is still alive, has served for almost 50 years—exactly 46 years and 8 months. We'll go backward from Inspector Forest's "Final Roll Call" to determine when his career began. This may be the longest-serving police officer our department has ever had, according to his nephew, according to the obituary published in the Baltimore Sun in March 1967. This may have been accurate at the time because he did serve for about 46 years before retiring at age 70 or older. Better yet, we have a son who has continued in his father's footsteps and is doing what every father desires. He has outperformed his father's stellar performance on the force and has gone on to become one of the longest-serving police officers, rising from Patrol to Inspector and working from a time when horses and wagons were used to a time when automobiles were used, and before he left the K9 unit was in operation.
There is a report that he was mentioned in when he was being considered for promotion to sergeant in 1897. (At the time, you had to have either 3 or 5 years on patrol to be considered for sergeant; if we choose the lesser of the two and say 3 years, then consideration in 1897 would have meant he had been on since 1894.) Inquiring about it for me, Bobby Brown came up with a start date for the father of 1888 and a promotion date of January 12, 1903
In 1904, the father appeared twice in the Sun Paper, both times as a Sergeant; the first time was on May 30 and the second time was on October 28. He is photographed and identified as a Sergeant in the 1907 Blue Book "Baltimore Police History."
When he was promoted to sergeant on 5-8-1918 and to lieutenant on 6-1-1922, his son in 1911 followed in his footsteps. The son who is featured in the newspaper in 1922 is this (article below) Between 1918 and 1922, Wm. J. Forrest Jr. received a promotion of round sergeant. William J. Forrest Jr. is mentioned as a Captain in the Sun Paper in 1946, and as an Inspector in 1955. He stopped working in 1956, and he died in 1967. Inspector William J. Forrest Jr. received 16 commendations during the course of his 46-year tenure with the force, including 4 in 1922, 7 in 1923, 4 in 1924, and 1 in 1925.
These were some of the accounts that were found or sent to us, albeit the Father and Son would appear in the news more frequently than what you will see on this page. We'll make an effort to distinguish between the reports for the father and the son. The son's career is represented by these articles, which date from 1922, 1930, 1946, 1955, 1956, and 1967. The story stated that Inspector Forrest was being honored by the City at a luncheon in the 1956 article, specifically on August 21, 1956. The Inspector Forrest was initially thanked by the Baltimore Sun for his approximately 46 years of loyal service, which would have put him close to 70 years old at the time of his retirement.
Between father and son, they witnessed significant advances in the field of law enforcement; the father joined in 1888, the year the Mounted unit was established, and the son left in 1956, the year the K9 unit was established. One witnessed the era of wagons and Bobby Caps, as well as the emergence of the best K9 unit in our country and possibly the entire globe. the horrors in police enforcement that this family witnessed.
The Sun Passed, who was born in 1876 and died in 1967, was 91 years old. He is survived by his wife, Nettie Lockwood Forrest; their daughter, Miss Frances Forrest; two brothers, Julian I. Forrest and Carroll Forrest, both of whom retired as majors from the Police Department; and a sister. Mrs Helen Meyers, a Baltimore resident. I don't know how long he was online, but I'll post everything that has been emailed to me and that we have discovered so you can see for yourself.
The Reports of Both the Father and the Son are Listed Here
1967 – 5 Mar, 1967 Tuesday at 10 a.m., at the Immaculate Conception Church, Baltimore and Ware avenues, will be held a high mass of requiem for William J. Forrest, a retired inspector with the Baltimore City Police. Towson. After suffering a stroke a month earlier, Mr. Forrest, who resided at 333 Dixie Drive in Towson, passed away Friday night at Franklin Square Hospital. After serving in the Police Department for 48 years, Mr. Forrest took his inspector retirement in 1956. He oversaw several police activities as an inspector, including those at the Pine Street station, Southwestern, Southern Pres, and Northwestern regions. Foot Patrolman's back. The foot patrolman, according to a police administration or Mr. Forrest of the old school, is the core of the police force. As opposed to radio patrols, he said. Patrol officers on foot are familiar with their beats. After starting out as a foot patrolman in 1911, Inspector Forrest advanced to the positions of sergeant, round sergeant, lieutenant, and captain before being named an inspector in 1946. He organized a cleaning squad to check rooming houses to make sure they complied with the city housing code as one of his duties as an inspector. Over the course of his time with the Baltimore Police Department, he got 9 commendations for his work in capturing murderers and burglars. The former Nettie Lockwood, his wife, Miss Frances Forrest, two brothers, Julian I. Forrest and Carroll Forrest, both retired majors in the Police Department, and a sister round out his survivors. Mrs Helen Meyers, a Baltimore resident. It (The Son)
1956 – Inspector William J. Forrest Jr. was profiled in a 1956 piece in The Baltimore Sun Paper. In the article, he is congratulated for his nearly 46 years of "loyal" service. Let's keep track of the years he spent as a Police Sergeant, Round Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and finally Inspector so that we can either have documentation of his start date or have enough evidence to determine it. First Sun paper's report on the City honoring Inspector Forrest at a luncheon, where on August 21, 1956, the Baltimore Sun begins its report by thanking the Inspector Forrest for his almost 46 years of faithful service. They then introduce some of those in attendance, such as Mayor D'Alesandro. They also mention the police commissioner (James Hepbron), along with many other City and State officials, of various ranks ranging from Patrolman to Chief I. On this day, the Emerson Hotel Ballroom was completely full just after noon. At age 70, no one has served as a Baltimore police officer for a longer period of time than Inspector Forrest, who rose through the ranks on his own. At the head table, where the guest of honor was seated beside his wife and daughter, Miss Frances Forrest, Anselm Sodaro, State Attorney, served as Toastmaster. No "Primary speaker" was present, but it was anticipated that many police officers would join the Mayor in reminding the inspector that it was "his" day. It was time to offer a gift, the nature of which was kept a mystery. All of the police department's employees contributed to its success. Baltimore's auxiliary bishop, Jerome J. Sebastian, will lead the prayer. Police Inspector Bernard J. Schmidt was in charge of making the luncheon preparations. (Side Note: From 1961 to 1966, Bernard Schmidt served as Baltimore's police commissioner. A young patrolman entered the elevator early in PC Schmidt's stint as Police Commissioner, and after a few floors the PC turned to the young officer and inquired whether he knew who he was. Although he apologized, the young man claimed he was unaware. It's fine, according to PC Schmidt, and he understood. Pictures of the Commissioner were hung in roll call rooms of all 9 districts shortly after that day in the elevator so that everyone would know what the PC looked like. Returning to 1956, The luncheon was held and was a complete success. except for the statement of the 46-year service... - So let's start (The Son)
1955 - A report on a use-of-force allegation against two patrolmen was published by the Sun Paper in 1955. (9 Aug 1955) According to reports, Inspector Forrest (then known as Police Inspector William J. Forrest) was tasked with looking into allegations that two Southwestern police officers brutally beat a guy they had apprehended the Friday before 5 August 1955. Disorderly conduct was alleged against the subject. The patrolmen who are accused produced the investigation reports. According to Inspector Ford, Benjamin Leddon and Charles Butka have not yet been provided. He stated that Inspector Forrest will have access to all official reports whenever they are received for use in his inquiry. John Minnick, 27, of the 1000 block of West Lombard Street, the alleged victim of the assault, was taken into custody after police were called to break up an altercation at a bar in the 1100 block of West Pratt Street. Unmarked 1 Witnesses claimed the brawl never started when he entered, yet Minnick was there! arrested outside on the street. In testimony given at a hearing held on Saturday morning in Southwestern Police Court, it was revealed that Minnick was unmarked when he boarded the police car for the three-block ride to the station, but that when he was later spotted there, he was nearly unrecognizably changed. Authorities said that Minnick needed hospital treatment, and the accused patrolmen claimed that Minnick's attempt to take Patrolman Leddon's gun led them into a fight. Throughout the struggle, one police officer was hurt. On allegations of assaulting the two cops, Magistrate Howard L. Aaron fined Minnick $25 for disorderly conduct, deferred the fee, and sentenced him to 30 days in jail. Submitted on August 9, 1955 (The Son)
1946 - According to the newspaper, Captain William J. Forrest was promoted to Inspector in 1946, and two police Lieutenants were made Captains. (10 Jan 1946) Inspector Forest will be given direction of the Southern and Central Districts, it continued. Lieut. Thomas S. Dunn of the Northeastern District will take over command of the Southwestern District to cover the void left by Capt. Lawrence King's recent retirement, while Lt. Alfred Cormack has been nominated to succeed Inspector Forrest as captain in the Northwestern District. Eight districts in the city will now be divided between four inspectors, according to Commissioner Atkinson, who filled the fifth inspector job created by the previous Legislature. Inspector John H. Mintiens will be in charge of the Northwestern and Northern districts, while Inspector John R. Schueler will be in charge of the Western and Southwestern districts. Inspector Joseph H. Itzel will command the Eastern and Northeastern districts. Inspector M. Joseph Wallace serves as chief. It (The Son)
1930 - In the arrests of two robbery suspects who were allegedly responsible for robbing a luncheon owner of $11 under threat of violence in early December 1930, he was identified as a Lieutenant. These two desperate individuals were taken into custody by the gallant Lieutenant's troops in a total of 15 minutes. John Furman, the owner of a lunchroom in the 1100 Block of Haubert Street, was the victim in this case. Around 10 o'clock in the morning, two armed guys entered, one of whom pointed a gun at him and demanded his daily salary. Furman gave them everything he had, which was about $11 dollars (his startup money, as this is a luncheon and the Robbers came in well before lunch time, they only got startup money for the day). Patrolmen John Peters and Martin Contey of the Southern District were able to apprehend and detain the men. The two men arrived at the station and gave their names as Earnest Frost, 24, and Delmar Bull, 22, both of whom were sailors (this was a problem in Baltimore since the city's founding as a port city, when criminals would enter on ships, commit crimes, then either get back on the boat to leave the city or a criminal transient simply move about the city without a trace). In this case, the police found $11 on one and a pistol on the other. The owner of a deli in the 4700 Block of Gwynn Oaks Avenue, Max Feldman, complained to the police that two men had robbed him of $20 the previous evening while holding a gun to his head. This occurrence is described in the second, titled Robbed at Gun Point. Feildman claimed that one of the males, who was about 25 years old, entered the store and asked for a sandwich before a second man pulled out a gun and ordered him to the back room. The $20 was then taken by the two from the cash register. A man attempted to take an automobile from William T. Sherwood, the night manager of the Guilford garage at Calvert and 34th Street, at around 10:30 last night. As Sherwood tried to stop the man, the man produced a gun, according to Sherwood. Sherwood made a wise retreat and let him go (without the automobile) One of those arrested had a diamond filling in his tooth, which was apparently used to saw through the bars to freedom (I guess you could say they chewed their way out), and the three had sawed their way out of the Frederick City Jail, according to the City Police. And now we hear more about our illustrious Lieutenant Williams, as Mr. Friedman saves $300 by picking it up off the floor of the Callow Ave Streetcar on which th When stealing the entire amount from the grocer's pocket, one of the criminals dropped the stolen goods on the ground. Mr. Freidman was jostled during the robbery so that he wouldn't notice a hand slipping into his suit coat's interior pocket. Because of how rough the jostling was, Mr. Friedman was going to ask the two men—one in front of him and the other behind him—to stop when he saw the money on the car's floor. Also, he observed that his bank book was missing and his pocket was empty. Following the heist, there was a struggle; Me Friedman grabbed the closest burglar, the second burglar joined in, and the three burglars got off the streetcar at Liberty and Redwood Streets. Two $50 bills from the $300 Mr. Friedman had salvaged fluttered to the ground as they plummeted to the sidewalk. The two robbers fled as Mr. Freidman stopped to collect the cash; one fled east on Redwood Street and the other fled west on the same block. Patrolman's case, Three males got out of the trolley while 18-year-old cab driver Anthony Aquilla was sitting in his parked vehicle close to the car stop. He phoned a patrolman named Mr. Friedman, who hopped in a cab and chased the pickpockets east on Redwood until he got lost in the chaos at Charles Street. Then Mr. Friedman, who resides at 1233 South Cary Street, traveled to the Western District and shared his tale with Lieutenant William J Forrest and Captain John S. Cooney. As a result, from this we learn a little about the historical context and discover that in 1930 Inspector Williams was a Lieutenant (The Son)
1922 – A 200-gallon still, a 100-horsepower boiler, 18 50-gallon fermenters, 500 pounds of rye meal, and eight gallons of moonshine were allegedly found during a Southern district police raid on 415 South Hanover Street on September 20, 1922, led by Lieutenant William J. Forrest and Sergeant Clarence C. Kendall. They detained 125 West Barre Street residents Albert Leuba and Arthur Chicks, who were then given to Edward J. Lindholm, the deputy internal tax collector, who seized the illegal enterprise. Leuba and Chicks were charged and detained for a hearing on September 29th before J. Frank Supplee Jr., a United States Commissioner. After appearing before the Commissioner for a hearing on the allegations of making and having alcohol, J. Hall and Chester E. Nolas of Rising Sun, Maryland, were granted release on bail until court. Charges were brought after a 200-gallon still was found at Rising Sun. Palmer C. Rakes, who was also detained, was kept in custody on a separate charge of impeding and resisting an officer. The prosecution against Norman A. Clark, whose residence was listed as 543 Wayne street, was allowed a continuance. He was accused of being the main distiller at Earleigh Heights in Anne Arundel county, where a 1,000 gallon still was discovered. William Woods and M. Carenda are named as suspects in the arrest warrant. An arrested black man named David King later testified for the government. Delmar Sutphin and Edward Wilkins, of Hising Sun, Russell Torres, and Herman Constantine, all of Baltimore, and Joseph Feriara, who was accused of making and having alcohol, were all freed on bail pending their court appearances. It (The Son)
1907 – The Baltimore Police Department's history, from 1774 to 1907 William J. Forrest is listed as a Sergeant on Page 56 of the original book published in 1907, with a photo of him in that position. However, at the time, in order to qualify as a Sergeant, one had to have served in the Patrol for at least three years. While he is listed in the 1907 book, which would make him a member since at least 1904, other news articles list him as a Sergeant in 1904, which would put him in the news in that year, Considering that he joined in 1894, his first year, and that it was his first opportunity for promotion... If he joined the military at the age of 21, served for 62 years, and retired in 1956, he would have been 83 years old, not 80 as previously thought. We already know that the newspaper's 1911 start date for him was inaccurate; according to their own articles, he was actually on in 1897, 1904, 1907, 1922, 1930, 1946, 1955, and 1956. The key issue at hand is whether the three-year rule was in place, and if so, whether he began in 1894 or 1895. (The dad)
1904 – The Baltimore Sun published an article headlined "Policemen Transferred" on October 28, 1904, the year of the Great Fire, with the subtitle "Sergeant Carberry Moved to Northwestern District." "The Following modifications were made yesterday, October 27, 1904, by the Board of Police Commissioners: Sergt. William J. Forrest Northwestern to Central," it said at the outset. It then goes on to list a further 7 Sergeants or patrolmen who were moved around. Sergt. Carberry's case was heard by the board shortly before the amendments were implemented, and this led to the adjustments being made "for the good of the Department." Three patrolmen who were expelled from the Central District belonged to Sergeant Carberry's squad and gave testimony against him in court. The men had a lot of emotion, therefore it was decided at the hearing that it would be best to separate them. William L. Thomas, a patrolman who testified against the sergeant, was permitted to stay in his jurisdiction. Probationary By board order, patrolman George J. Will of the Western district was promoted to regular patrolman, and Alexander H. Hobbs was made a probationary patrolman and assigned to the Central District. Detective Todd Hall also received $25 from Mr. Allen Mclane to help with the investigation into Mayor McLane's death. for the detective's assistance in looking into Mayor McLane's death. According to Detective Hall, the Mayor's passing happened by mistake. (The dad)
1904 – 30 May 1904 The Northwestern district was the target of two raids. Officers in ordinary clothing working under Capt. Schultz's command yesterday. Around 1:00 a.m., Round Sergeant Thomas Hood, Sergeant William J. Forrest, Patrolmen James E. Abbott and Harry Webster shocked the 19 customers, who were all people of color, by walking into George L. Jeannert's tavern at 589 Baker Street. It took two trips for the patrol wagon to transport all bands to the station. Jeannert was arrested by Justice Goldman on suspicion of selling alcohol on a Sunday. About midday, Patrolmen Robert T. Neal, Albert McLane, and Peter Coughlin of the Northern district searched Mrs. Kate Keaveney's tavern at 540 Dolphin Street. Five black people were standing in front of the pub when the officers arrived, and there was a dash for freedom. One sprinted through the house and jumped over the back fence to flee. With numerous beers in hand, the other four were driven to the station. Judge Goldman granted Mrs. Keaveney's release on bail in order to appear in court on the accusation of selling alcohol on a Sunday. (The dad)
1897 – Patrolman Plum's Promotion, 12 May 1897. The names of the patrolmen that Captain Baker determined to be eligible were compiled on a list the day before. It listed Plum, Miller, Forrest, Bishop, and Green by name. Plum was given by Commissioner Johnson. (The dad)
Captain William J Forrest Son
later promoted to Inspector
Original Inspector badge and case belonging to Inspector William J Forrest
The original badge issued to Inspector William J Forrest
Although we can see that this isn't the same holster as the one for the same make and type of gun, we can also see that it was created by the same leather craftsman and that the area where the two straps meet is particular to each holster. Also, the text in the image reveals that this was built specifically for a Smith & Wesson "Baby Russian" a.38 Cal. Revolver was a weapon that our police frequently carried in the late 1800s and early 1900s; it's important to note that many of these officers carried their pistols in their pockets at the period, which is why a pocket holster was necessary. This extremely risky way of carrying a handgun has resulted in a number of major injuries, and even some fatalities.
The following are some holsters that Inspector Forrest once had.
The following two holsters were bought from a vendor of vintage leather goods, antique guns, and other police-related antiques. At the time of this post's publication (April 2014), The seller was selling them for Charles "Charlie" Klein, who was 84 years old, Charlie purchased them from his uncle William Forrest, a former inspector. The seller was selling them for Charlie.
Pocket Holster from the Late 1800's early 1900's
Pocket Holster from the Late 1800's early 1900's
Pocket Holster from the Late 1800's early 1900's
Audley Safety Holster Pat. 13 Oct. 1914
Audley Safety Holster Pat. 13 Oct. 1914
Audley Saftey Holster Pat. 13 Oct. 1914
On the right we see the rear of the Audley Safety Holster Pat. 13 Oct. 1914
On the right we see the rear of the Audley Safety Holster Pat. 13 Oct. 1914
F. H. Audley, a former saddle, harness, and boot maker, founded the Audley Safety Holster Company in the early 1900s, about 1905. He had honed these skills over the course of 30 years working in the saddlery and harness industry.
About 1876, F. H. Audley opened his own saddlery firm in New York at 2557 Third Avenue (around 139th Street), which he ran until 1885. After that, he shut down operations and joined Mr. P. H. Comerford in the saddlery, harness, and boot manufacturing industry. Frank H. Audley returned to business in 1891, but despite producing high-quality saddlery and boots, he suffered for the following ten years, right up until the turn of the century.
F. H. Audley started gaining a lot of exposure to police equipment when he moved his business to 8 Central Market Place, across from Police Headquarters, in the early 1900s. Since then, F. H. Audley has applied for numerous patents for a variety of police equipment that he produced and marketed to numerous New York City police officers who took advantage of his convenient location to use his services.
The Audley Safety Holster, for which F. H. Audley sought for patents in 1912 and received approval on October 13, 1914, is the most well-known of these creations. The body of the holster includes a spring-loaded steel latch that firmly holds the weapon in place. Only by depressing the catch with the index finger can it be let go. It is nearly impossible for anyone else than the wearer of the holster to accomplish this. Further holding straps are not necessary.
In World War One, many officers found them to be useful, and many American police departments also employed them. The Folsom Arms Co. acquired the Audley Company, which was then taken over by the Cortland Bootjack Co. before becoming the JayPee Holster Co. An officer who was mounted on a motorcycle or a horse during the 1920s and 1930s most likely utilized this specific type.
Francis H. Audley passed away in May 1916, and I just so happened to come upon a copy of his obituary from the New York Times on May 11, 1916.
POLICE INFORMATION
Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.
Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
Lieutenant Detective John E Klein
Lieutenant Detective John E. Klein became a member of the Baltimore Police Department in 1899 as a Probationary Patrolman by 1901 he was promoted to Patrolman (Number 10 on a list of near 50 Officers, with a score of 94.5 on his test)
Lieut. John E. Klein, died at age 66, he lived in Arnold, Anne Arundel county, and was by this time retired from the Baltimore Police Department's Detective bureau, he passed away from an illness he had for only two months. He was the son of John L. Klein, also of this city, and the late Katherine E. Klein. John became a probationary patrolman in 1899. Five years later he was made Sergeant in which capacity he served until he was named to the Detective bureau as a lieutenant in 1921. He continued to work as a plain clothes man up until his retirement in August, 1926. He made his home with his sister, Miss Minnie Klein, in Arnold. Beside his father, he was survived by two sisters Misses Minnie and Lillian Klein, and a brother, Charles F. Klein. Funeral services were held at the chapel, Eutaw Place and Lanvale street, on Saturday at 2 P. M. Interment was in Loudon Park Cemetery, During his career he was involved in capturing the men responsible for the double murder of Vincent Montealto and Jacob Goodle, Jacob was 65 when he was murdered in his bed, by a man with a hatchet. Det. Klein worked with Det William Jenkins and Sgt William Burns to identify a suspect using the newly founded fingerprint labs in Baltimore... they photographed the fingerprints, Things hadn't changed much over the years, for the first police on the scene used the murder weapon to hammer closed a window that used to gain entry into Goodle's room. Witnesses said Goodle had company earlier in the night a L. Brody of 732 S Charles St. He left, but was seen to return around 9:30 PM by Mrs Anders who said shortly after Brody's return, she heard pottering about his room. The suspect was arrested and convicted. In an unrelated Case involving the theft of nearly $1000.00 that was taken during the murder of William B Norris, when he was robbed of his payroll safe deposit box by a gang of bandits in 1922 on August the 22nd, the suspects took the money to a Mrs Hart so she could hid the money for them until things cooled over. This murder took place in Baltimore, but led detectives both North and South of the city, as North as New York, and as far south as Washington Dc. but they got their suspects, when Detectives Cooney, Mintiens and Klein recovered the money in Washington Dc with one suspect and then two more suspect in New York.. In 1921 Det Klein would receive two Awards for his cases, his ability to get confessions, and close cases. In 1922 Lt Det Klein would receive two more awards, and in 1924, he would receive two more awards... There were times when he and his partners would rack up 6 awards or more in a year, they seemed to put down cases, between fingerprint hits and confessions, they knew how to close cases.. never leaving a stone upturned, in cases where it seemed nothing would turn up as for evidence, they would do door to door and talk to everyone until they found a witness that either saw something, or would point them in the right direction. Lieutenant Detective John Klein retired in August of 1926 with more than 11 official commendation. One of his favorite tools as a detective, the Black Jack/Slap Jack, easily slips into the pocket and can be used to bring down a murderer without having to kill him.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
If you come into possession of Police items from an Estate or Death of a Police Officer Family Member and do not know how to properly dispose of these items please contact: Retired Detective Ken Driscoll - Please dispose of POLICE Items: Badges, Guns, Uniforms, Documents, PROPERLY so they won’t be used IMPROPERLY.
Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
Biography of Edward Myers
A Baltimore City Policeman
Edward Myers was born in Baltimore, Maryland at 4:00 AM on 11 October 1812, five months after war was declared against England. Edward was the fourth child and second son of Charles Myers (spelled Meyer) and Mary "Polly" Wagner (spelled Waggoner) of York County, Pennsylvania. Pages from the Myers Family Bible, at one time in the possession of now deceased cousin William Slaughter of Richmond, Virginia, list in the handwriting of Mary “Polly” (Wagner) Myers all of her children with specific dates and times of birth or christening.
What may have happened while Edward Myers was growing up in the Federal Hill and Baltimore Harbor area? On 27 February 1821, General Andrew Jackson arrived in Baltimore from Philadelphia and his approach was announced by discharges of artillery from a detachment of Captain Wilson's Independent Blues, stationed on Federal Hill. Edward Myers likely heard or witnessed the artillery fire as a nine-year-old. From 7 to 11 October 1824, the Revolutionary War hero, French General Lafayette, made a return visit (since 1781) to Baltimore and Edward Myers as a twelve-year-old may have witnessed the extensive celebrations in the city. Four ships fully dressed with flags and streamers sailed into the harbor to greet the General, his son Washington Lafayette, and U.S. Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams. On 13 October 1824, two days after Lafayette's departure, Edward Myers' younger brother, Ferdinand Myers, was born in Baltimore. On 6 April 1826, Edward Myers' younger sister, Julia Myers, was christened by Reverend Daniel Kurtz of Zion German Lutheran Church on Gay Street and Court House Plaza. Ferdinand Myers was christened nearly seven years after his birth on 1 June 1831, also by Reverend Daniel Kurtz. Edward Myers in 1842 lived on South Charles Street, north of Barre Street, according to the Baltimore City Directory.
On 23 May 1846, an enthusiastic crowd assembled in Monument Square of Baltimore City to support the annexation of Texas and the war that followed. Reverdy Johnson, General Sam Houston, and William Yancey, a member of Congress from Alabama, all addressed the Baltimore audience. On 1 June 1846, First Lieutenant John R. Kenly of the Eagle Artillery Company of Baltimore began recruiting a company of volunteers for the Mexican War, after first meeting with President James K. Polk in Washington, D.C., and then with Lieutenant Colonel William H. Watson, the newly appointed commander of the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Battalion. On 2 June 1846, Kenly opened a rendezvous in the armory of the Eagle Artillery Company, and another at Trades' Union Hall, corner of Baltimore Street and Triplett's Alley. According to Kenly, volunteers came in with extraordinary rapidity. On 4 June 1846, Kenly carried to the city of Washington by railroad two officers and 58 men, the whole having been recruited by Kenly in less than 36 hours. Prior to leaving his rendezvous on Baltimore Street, Kenly was honored and gratified by being presented with a sword and sash by Captain George P. Kane, the commanding officer, on behalf of the Eagle Artillery Company, with which Kenly had been connected as a private and officer for several years. On reaching Washington, Kenly and his new recruits were met by the volunteers from Baltimore who had preceded them. Kenly and his recruits were escorted to the War Department, and from there they marched to the Marine Barracks, where the recruits were assigned quarters. Kenly received his commission as Captain from Thomas G. Pratt, Governor of Maryland, that same day.
Edward Myers enlisted for one year of military service on 4 June 1846 as a Private with Captain John R. Kenly's Company E in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Battalion. Edward Myers was described in his enlistment and pension records as being 5 feet 4 inches tall, of light complexion, dark eyes, dark hair, and by occupation a baker. On 5 June 1846, Captain Kenly sent two of his officers, Lieutenants Francis B. Schaeffer and Oden Bowie (later Governor of Maryland and for whom Odenton was named), back to Baltimore to bring more men, who were reportedly anxious to join Kenly's company. On 8 June 1846, Kenly's company, known as "Baltimore's Own," marched back to the War Department, where members of the company were mustered into the service of the United States by Lorenzo Thomas, Major and Assistant Adjutant-General United States Army, for 12 months of service. The company consisted of three officers and 84 non-commissioned officers and privates.
On 10 June 1846, the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Battalion was ordered by the Secretary of War to leave the Marine Barracks, where it had been quartered, to Fort Washington, on the banks of the Potomac River, seven miles below the town of Alexandria. The cause of the unexpected order was an application from the Mayor of the City of Washington, who had been incensed at the bad behavior of some of the men, and who, as it was alleged, "had entered into a personal quarrel with them, in which it well may be supposed, he was not much the gainer." On 13 June 1846, the Battalion left Fort Washington and embarked on board the steamer Powhatan, and at 8:00 PM arrived alongside the steamer Massachusetts, lying in the river, which had been chartered by the Government to convey the Battalion and a large amount of stores to Point Isabel on the Gulf of Mexico. Kenly indicated in his diary that it had been raining hard all day and suddenly five hundred men were thrown upon a steamer of seven hundred tons' burden, whose hold and deck were covered with forage and other military stores. A scene of indescribable confusion ensued, which the darkness seemed to swell and magnify, and no repose was had on that night of chaos, except that which was obtained through pure exhaustion.
From 20 to 24 September 1846, Edward Myers fought at the Battle of Monterrey in Mexico. From December 1846 until at least April 1847, Edward Myers performed extra duty in Mexico as a baker for his battalion. According to the military service records from the National Archives for Edward Myers, he was billed by the Army $1.22 for a pair of lost Army brogans, 56 cents for a lost white bayonet scabbard belt, and 10 cents for a bayonet scabbard free plate. Edward Myers was discharged on 30 May 1847 in Tampico, Mexico and returned to Baltimore.
On 20 November 1848, Edward Myers was married in Baltimore, Maryland by Reverend Reese to Mary A. Flahart. Four children were born to this marriage: Henrietta, born 21 March 1849, Julia, Alexander, born 6 May 1853, and Edward Myers, all in Baltimore. Mary A. (Flahart) Myers died in the 1850's in Baltimore and Edward Myers was married a second time on 30 April 1866 by Reverend Burnette (also spelled Burnet) of the Baptist Church in Baltimore to Mary Elizabeth Stall, the daughter of the recently deceased Andrew J. Stall (who died 17 September 1862, Battle of Antietam) and Mary Ann Waters Roberts of Baltimore. Three children were born to this couple: Robert Charles Myers, Henry Russell Myers, and Lucy C. Myers. Edward Myers in 1851 was a baker by trade and lived on Parkin Street, south of Lombard Street. He moved to Charles Street between Hamburg and Cross Streets in 1853.
After Edward Myers became a policeman in 1853, assigned to the Southern District in Baltimore, and many of his encounters while on duty with unruly individuals in the city were recorded in history in the form of newspaper articles, as follows:
In a 4 May 1853 Baltimore Sun article: “In early May 1853, about 12:00 on Monday night, whilst Watchman Myers of the Southern District was going his round, he discovered on fire a building in Spring Court, two doors from Charles Street, and succeeded in extinguishing the flames before much damage was sustained.”
In a 25 January 1854 Baltimore Sun article: “Riotous Conduct: Jeremiah Simpson, on the charge of riotous conduct at Camden Station, was arrested by Watchman Edward Myers, and committed to jail by Justice Pennington, in default of security to answer before court.”
In a 16 June 1854 Baltimore Sun article: “Rescued from Drowning: About 1:00 yesterday morning, whilst Watchman Myers was going his round, he heard a man struggling in the water at Light Street Wharf. He hurried to the spot and succeeded in saving the life of the man, who was from the Eastern Shore, and who fell overboard whilst attempting to board a vessel.”
In a 6 July 1854 Baltimore Sun article: “Dreadful Railroad Accident, Awful Loss of Life, 28 Person Killed, 50 or 60 Persons Wounded” - Edward Myers was mentioned three times as Southern District Watchman, Mexican War veteran, or resident of 216 Barre Street. Edward Myers was seriously injured in this Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad train accident nine miles from Baltimore City. George Butler, his travel companion and also a Mexican War veteran, pulled Edward Myers out of the wreckage and saved his life. The newspaper article stated how surprised authorities were that Edward Myers survived.
In a 27 December 1854 Baltimore Sun article: “George Sahn was arrested by Officer Myers, and was charged with assaulting and beating Catharine Wollen. George Sahn was committed for court by Justice Auld.”
In a 5 April 1855 Baltimore Sun article: “Passing Counterfeit Money: Jacob Wyre was arrested by Watchman Myers upon the charge of passing a five dollar bank bill on the Bank of Commerce, and which proved to be a counterfeit. Justice Lawder committed him to jail in default of security for a further examination.”
In a 15 January 1857 Baltimore Sun article: “Incendiarism: Watchman Myers of the Southern District, whilst going his rounds on Tuesday morning, discovered that the house on the corner of Perry and Hanover Streets had been forced open and then set on fire under the stairway, which Watchman Myers promptly extinguished.”
In an 11 March 1857 Baltimore Sun article: “S. Leonard was arrested by Officers Myers and Poulton upon the charge of assaulting and beating Aquilla Christopher. S. Leonard was held to bail to answer at court by Justice Webb.”
In a 14 April 1857 Baltimore Sun article: “William Bryan and Lawrence Buck were arrested by officers Myers and Poulton on the charge of throwing bricks in the street. Justice Webb fined them each one dollar with costs, and committed them to jail in default of security to keep quiet for six months.”
In a 30 May 1857 Baltimore Sun article: “About 1 o’clock on Friday morning, Officer Myers of the Southern District discovered a man sitting upon the curbstone in Pratt Street. Officer Myers accosted him, and by his incoherent replies, concluded the man was under the influence of liquor, as he appeared very drowsy. With assistance, the man was carried toward the Southern Station but died before his bearers could arrive there. His name is unknown and nothing was found upon his person by which his name or residence could be learned. Coroner Benson was sent for and he held an inquest over the body, and the jury rendered a verdict of death by intoxication.”
In a 14 August 1857 Baltimore Sun article: “Andrew Hackett was arrested by Officer Myers and was charged with exposing his person in the Hanover Market. Justice Webb committed him for court.”
In a 12 December 1857 Baltimore Sun article: “On Thursday night, Officers Myers and Coulton (previously named as Poulton) of the Southern District, arrested Mark Silverstine, a manufacturer of hats, on a charge of setting fire to his store, No. 171 West Pratt Street, an account of the partial burning of which appeared in our last issue. At first, the fire was supposed to have originated from the accident, but something excited suspicion against him and caused his arrest. He was examined before Justice Boyd, who in default of security, committed him to jail to await the reaction of the grand jury.”
In a 6 April 1858 Baltimore Sun article:
In a 17 July 1858 Baltimore Sun article:
In a 3 November 1858 Baltimore Sun article:
In a 23 April 1859 Baltimore Sun article:
In a 2 January 1860 Baltimore Sun article:
In a 28 June 1861 Baltimore Sun article:
In a 3 July 1861 Baltimore Sun article:
In a 23 September 1861 Baltimore Sun article:
In a 24 June 1863 Baltimore Sun article:
24 June 1863 Baltimore Sun article
As was stated earlier, Edward and his family moved in 1854 to 216 Barre Street. His son by his second marriage, Henry Russell Myers, lived at this same address in 1888. By the late 1850s Edward Myers lived at 26 Ross Street, where his mother resided, and until the end of the Civil War was working as a policeman, and at the beginning of the Civil War, for Union Colonel John R. Kenly, his former company commander during the Mexican War. Colonel Kenly was the Provost Marshal of Baltimore at that time. Edward Myers' mother died at the 26 Ross Street address in 1860.
Retired General John R. Kenly kept a diary during the Mexican War and had it published in 1873 by Lippincott of Philadelphia, entitled Memoirs of a Maryland Volunteer, War With Mexico, 1846-1848. In this rare book, which was located at the historic Peabody Library in Baltimore, are incredible details of the entire military campaign in northern Mexico, including every imaginable experience by the soldiers of this company, including one instance when Captain Kenly's company met commanding General Zachary Taylor, later to become President Taylor.
Some years later, Edward Myers worked as a laborer in South Baltimore and his last residence was 673 Hanover Street when he died on 8 September 1884. Edward's son, Robert Charles Myers, lived at the 673 Hanover Street address in 1883. Edward Myers died of pneumonia, which he had for three weeks, according to his death certificate. Edward was buried on 10 September 1884 in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Section A, Lot 73, in northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland. His medical attendant was Dr. J. C. Burch of 151 Hanover Street and the undertaker was William G. Tiellner of 65 South Eutaw Street. On 14 March 1887, attorney Patrick O'Farrell of 110 67th Street N.W. Washington, D.C. prosecuted the pension claim for widowed Mary E. Myers, who lived at the time at 611 Little Paca Street in Baltimore.
On 25 March 1887, Henry Russell Myers and Henrietta Slaughter signed affidavits as witnesses to their acquaintance with and relationship to the deceased Edward Myers. Daughter Henrietta (Myers) Slaughter, the wife of Washington Lafayette Slaughter, stated that she was present at the marriage ceremony in 1866 when her father Edward Myers and Mary Elizabeth Stall were married. By 2 November 1887, widow Mary E. Myers was living at 533 South Paca Street, according to the pension record. John R. Kenly, as a retired Major General in the United States Army in 1887, signed an affidavit and was a witness to Edward Myers' service in Kenly’s company during the Mexican War. Also in 1887, Mary E. Myers claimed that she did not know if her deceased husband Edward Myers received the 160 acres of bounty land to which he was entitled by law. Her attorney noted that there was no record of bounty land being granted.
POLICE INFORMATION
Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.
Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
Baltimore Police Department
Broken Windows Theory
The Broken Windows Theory, is an academic theory proposed by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling in 1982 that used broken windows as a metaphor for disorder within neighborhoods. Their theory links disorder and rudeness within a community to subsequent occurrences of crime. First small nuisances that will become small crimes, and small crimes become big crimes.
Broken windows was developed by two academics, but it was never offered as an academic theory in the peer-reviewed journals. It emerged as a piece in Atlantic Monthly, a somewhat sophisticated magazine. The theory is been much maligned in the media of late because it has been conflated with some terrible ideas and racist practices such as “zero tolerance policing” and “stop and frisk” tactics. The actual application of the theory to neighborhood policing dictates a specific type of partnership between police and citizens that would, if implemented properly, improve relationships between citizens and police. The major flaw of the theory seems to be that it is an oversimplification of a complex set of social phenomena, and thus lacks much empirical support.
Since criminologist George L. Kelling and his coauthor James Q. Wilson published their “broken windows” more than 30 years ago, it has become a sort of “standard” theoretical explanation of why community policing is a good idea. It was quickly taken up by several major police departments, including the LAPD, as part of community policing. It called for the building of police and community partnerships that would seek to prevent local crime and to create order. The basic logic was the simple premise that interrupting minor offenses before they could snowball and open the door to serious crimes, including violent crimes.
At the core of the Broken Windows thesis is that incivilities beget further incivilities, and the severity of the incivilities gets worse over time. At some point, the mere incivilities evolve into serious crime if the causal chain is not broken. It is important to note that Broken Windows does not suggest how problems should be solved, and it certainly never specifies that arrest is always the most appropriate tool. Heavy-handed tactics like New York’s “stop and frisk” program cannot be reconciled with Broken Windows, nor with the problem-oriented approach that is often found in conjunction with it.
Prior to the advancement of various incivility theories such as broken windows, policing scholars and the police themselves tended to focus on serious crime. The major concern was always with crimes that were perceived to be the most serious and consequential for the victim, such as rape, robbery, and murder. Wilson and Kelling viewed the crime problem from a different, more holistic vantage point. They saw “serious crime” as the ultimate outcome of a much longer chain of neighborhood phenomena, theorizing that crime stemmed from “disorder,” and that if disorder dissipated, then serious crimes would not occur.
The link between disorder and crime was theorized to be mediated by fear of crime, an important social variable in its own right. Wilson and Kelling’s theory further postulates that the proliferation of disorder creates fear in the minds of citizens who are persuaded that the neighborhood is unsafe. The fear of crime, which can range in intensity from a slight unease to a debilitating fear of victimization, causes residents to withdraw behind closed doors in order to remain safe. This withdrawal from the community weakens social controls that previously kept criminals in check. Once this process begins, the theory suggests, it tends to start a destructive feedback loop. Neighborhood disorder causes crime, and crime encourages yet more disorder and crime.
A major aspect of the popularity of Broken Windows is the fact that it creates a theoretical framework for police practice. Most criminological theories support changes in macro-level social policy rather than police policy within the framework of community policing. Earlier social disorganization theories offered solutions that were highly political, costly to develop and implement, and would take a long time to demonstrate any effectiveness. These theoretical causes of neighborhood problems and crime are more appropriate to legislatures than they are to police departments. Broken Windows theory is seen by many as a way to institute rapid neighborhood-level change with minimal expense by simply altering the police crime-control strategy. It is far easier and less costly to attack “disorder” than it is to assail such daunting social ills as poverty and deficient education.
References
Kelling, G. L. & Wilson, J. Q. (1982). Broken Windows: The police and neighborhood safety. The Atlantic.
Credit to author Adam J. McKee, Ph.D.
From <https://www.docmckee.com/WP/oer/criminology/criminology-section-6-4/
POLICE INFORMATION
Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.
Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
Fallen Heroes List
1787 - May 1787 - We lost our Brother Night Watchman Turner HERE
1808 - 15 March 1808 - We lost our Brother Night Watchman George Workner HERE
1844 - 19 June 1844 - We lost our Brother Night Watchman Alexander McIntosh HERE
1856 - 13 November, 1856 - We lost our Brother Night Watchman John O'Mayer HERE
1857 - 14 October 1857 - We lost our Brother Sergeant William Jourdan HERE
1858 - 27 Jun 1858 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Henry Wilcox HERE
1858 - 22 September, 1858 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Benjamin Benton HERE
1858 - 05 November, 1858 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Robert M. Rigdon HERE
1863 - 18 Feb 1863 - We lost our Brother Sergeant William Wright HERE
1870 - 05 July, 1870 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James Murphy HERE
1870 - 17 Aug 1870 - We lost our Brother Lieutenant Richard Chanowith HERE
1871 - 12 January, 1871 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles J Walsh HERE
1871 - 22 May, 1871 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Joseph Clark HERE
1871 - 14 September, 1871 - We lost our Brother Detective John H. Richards HERE
1872 - 18 August 1872 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John Christopher HERE
1872 - 22 Nov 1872 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Franklin Fullum HERE
1873 - 12 January 1873 - We lost our Brother Patrolman John H. Dames HERE
1873 - 12 January 1873 - We lost our Brother Patrolman James T. Harvey HERE
1873 - 06 October 1873 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Thomas Baldwin HERE
1873 - 11 November 1873 - We lost our Brother Patrolman William H Healy HERE
1875 - 27 Nov 1875 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Robert Wright HERE
1877 - 04 Aug 1877 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Henry Schaper HERE
1883 - 27 September 1883 - We lost our Brother Captain Benjamin Franklin Kenney HERE
1884 - 06 January, 1884 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles W. Fisher HERE
1884 - 12 Jan 1884 - We lost our Brother Patrolman George Pumphrey HERE
1885 - 20 March, 1885 - We lost our Brother Police Officer August Harting HERE
1889 - 04 July, 1889 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John T. Lloyd HERE
1891 - 15 July, 1891 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Jacob Zapp HERE
1894 - 20 June, 1894 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James T. Dunn HERE
1894 - 20 June, 1894 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Michael Neary HERE
1895 - 16 June, 1895 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Benjamin Graham HERE
1895 - 17 October, 1895 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John J. Dailey HERE
1898 - 11 February 1898 - We lost our Brother Police Lieutenant Michael F Black HERE
1899 - 03 July 1899 - We lost our Brother Police Detective John S. Pontier HERE
1899 - 29 August, 1899 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Alonzo B. Bishop HERE
1900 - 11 June 1900 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Michael W. Ryan HERE
1902 - 20 May 1902 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles J. Donohue HERE
1905 - 26 January 1905 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Mathew Boone HERE
1905 - 25 December 1905 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles Spitznagle HERE
1909 - 04 March 1909 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas H. Worthington HERE
1910 - 16 Sept1910 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John T. Tuohy HERE
1911 - 16 September 1911 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Joseph Smyth HERE
1912 - 25 November 1912 - We lost our Brother Officer John McGrain HERE
1914 - 02 June 1914 - We lost our Brother Turnkey Carroll E Bond HERE
1915 - 18 April 1915 - We lost our Brother Police Officer George C. Sauer HERE
1915 - 08 July 1915 We lost our Brother Police Sergeant William F. Higgins HERE
1915 - 21 September 1915 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Herbert Bitzel HERE
1915 - 25 December 1915 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Paul Meeks HERE
1917 - 22 January 1917 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Michael Burns HERE
1918 - 13 February 1918 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Joseph Daniel Benedict HERE
1918 - 19 March 1918 - We lost our Sister Police Matron Teresa Foll HERE
1918 - 06 July 1918 - We lost our Brother Patrolman George Kessler HERE
1918 - 08 July 1918 - We lost our Brother Lieutenant Charles H McClean HERE
1919 - 16 Feb 1919 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Albert L. Borrell HERE
1919 - 03 July 1919 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John J. Lanahan HERE
1920 - 02 October 1920 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Michael J Egan HERE
1921 - 01 May 1921 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Edgar Shellito HERE
1923 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John Edward Swift HERE
1924 - 02 March 1924 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Frank L. Latham HERE
1924 - 20 June 1924 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles S. Frank HERE
1925 - 02 January 1925 - We lost our Brother Police Officer George D. Hart HERE
1925 - 18 May 1925 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Patrick J Coniffee HERE
1925 - 01 November 1925 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Leroy L. Mitchell HERE
1925 - 03 July 1925 - We lost our Brother Patrolman John E. Harris HERE
1925 - 02 August 1925 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Irvin E Martz HERE
1926 - 09 February 1926 We lost our Brother Police Officer Milton Heckwolf HERE
1926 - 29 June 1926 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Webster E. Schumann HERE
1926 - 12 July 1926 - We lost our Brother Police Clerk Thomas J. Dillon HERE
1926 - 31 Oct 1926 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles W. Robb HERE
1927 - 07 Dec 1927 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Harry Sullivan HERE
1927 - 05 August 1927 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William F. Doehler HERE
1928 - 12 February 1928 - We lost our Brother Sergeant George M. J. May HERE
1928 - 28 June 1928 We lost our Brother Sergeant William Nicholson HERE
1928 - 19 November 1928 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Joseph F. Carroll HERE
1929 - 26 July 1929 - We lost our Brother Patrolman James M. Moore HERE
1930 - 07 May 1930 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Robert L. Osborne HERE
1931 - 07 January 1931 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John P. Burns HERE
1931 - 27 February 1931 - We lost our Brother Sergeant James Robert Moog HERE
1931 - 10 Nov, 1931 - We lost our Brother Captain Edward J Carey HERE
1931 - 06 Dec, 1931 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Howard Pitts HERE
1932 - 02 January 1932 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William A. Bell HERE
1932 - 05 March 1932 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Charles R. Bozman HERE
1932 - 04 October 1932 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas F. Steinacker HERE
1933 - 21 April 1933 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John R. J. Block HERE
1933 - 07 March 1933 - We lost our Brother Police Lt. Cornelius J. Roche HERE
1933 - 09 March 1933 - We lost our Brother Police Capt. Charles H. Burns HERE
1933 - 27 Sept 1933 - We lost our Brother Patrolman William R Myers HERE
1934 - 12 February 1934 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John Blank HERE
1934 - 12 July 1934 - We lost our Brother Detective Sergeant Raymond Golderman HERE
1934 - 05 September 1934 - We lost our Brother Serge Michael McSweeny HERE
1934 - 02 November 1934 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John A. Stapf HERE
1934 - 20 December 1934 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Henry W. Sudmeier HERE
1935 - 14 February 1935 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Max Hirsh HERE
1935 - 31 Oct 1935 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Arthur H. Malinofski HERE
1935 - 22 Nov 1935 - We lost our Brother Patrolman James P. Lennon HERE
1936 - 16 February 1936 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Arthur R. Cornthwaite HERE
1936 - 09 October 1936 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Leo Bacon HERE
1936 - 29 October 1936 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Carroll Hanley HERE
1936 - 28 December 1936 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John T. King, Jr. HERE
1937 - 31 December 1937 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas J. Barlow HERE
1937 - 17 November 1937 - We lost our Brother Capt. Charles A. Kahler HERE
1938 - 25 Mar 1938 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Henry E. Auld HERE
1938 - 01 Nov 1938 - We lost our Brother Chief Engineer Joseph Edward Keene HERE
1939 - 05 May 1939 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Charles W. Frizzell HERE
1940 - 13 June 1940 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William L. Ryan HERE
1941 - 11 January 1941 - We lost our Brother Capt. Havey Von Harten HERE
1943 - 13 June 1943 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William J. Woodcock HERE
1943 - 07 November 1943 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William S. Knight HERE
1943 - 16 November 1943 - We lost our Brother Detective Patrolman Charles H. Reid HERE
1944 - 29 January 1944 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Joseph Waldsachs HERE
1945 - 17 August 1945 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John J. Burns HERE
1945 - 10 September 1945 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John B. Bealefeld HERE
1946 - 01 March 1946, We lost our Brother Patrolman George H. Weichert HERE
1946 - 27 June 1946 - We lost our Brother Patrolman James M Shamer HERE
1946 - 20 November 1946 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Elmer A. Noon HERE
1947 - 13 January 1947 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Fred R. Unger HERE
1947 - 13 October 1947 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles Hart HERE
1948 - 13 February 1948 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Joseph Daniel Benedict HERE
1948 - 01 October 1948 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas J. Burns HERE
1948 - 30 December 1948 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John W. Arnold HERE
1949 - 04 April 1949 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James L. Joyce HERE
1949 - 16 October 1949 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas J. O'Neill HERE
1950 - 04 August 1950 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles M. Hilbert HERE
1951 - 06 January 1951 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Roland W. Morgan HERE
1951 - 23 June 1951 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Arthur Weiss HERE
1953 - 01 August 1953 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James L. Scholl HERE
1954 - 14 February 1954 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Alfred P. Bobelis HERE
1954 - 19 April 1954 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Aubrey L. Lowman HERE
1954 - 01 July 1954 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Walter D. Davis HERE
1955 - 24 October 1955 - We lost our Brother Sergeant James J. Purcell HERE
1956 - 06 Feb 1956 - - We lost our Brother Patrolman John Neill HERE
1956 - 27 May 1956 - We lost our Brother Police Lieutenant William P. Thompson HERE
1956 - 29 September 1956 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John R. Phelan HERE
1956 - 11 December 1956, We lost our Brother, Police Sgt. Edward M. Sawyer HERE
1957 - 27 September 1957 - We lost our Brother Police Sergeant Charles E Gross HERE
1957 - 09 October 1957 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John F. Andrews HERE
1958 - 19 September 1958 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Robert K. Nelson HERE
1959 - 11 January 1959 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Richard H. Duvall, Jr. HERE
1960 - 16 November 1960 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Warren V. Eckert HERE
1961 - 08 Oct 1961 - We lost our Brother Patrolman John R Falconer HERE
1962 - 07 April, 1962 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Henry Smith, Jr. HERE
1962 - 26 May 1962 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Richard D. Seebo HERE
1962 - 02 July 1962 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Edward J. Kowalewski HERE
1964 - 10 January 1964 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Francis R. Stransky HERE
1964 - 06 February 1964 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Claude J. Profili HERE
1964 - 11 September 1964 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Walter Patrick Matthys HERE
1964 - 15 October 1964 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Teddy L. Bafford HERE
1964 - 25 December 1964 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Jack Lee Cooper HERE
1965 - 20 January 1965 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles R. Ernest HERE
1965 - 22 July 1965 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Robert Henry Kuhn HERE
1966 - 24 August 1946 - We lost our Brother Honorary Police Officer Simon Fried HERE
1967 - 25 January 1967 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William J. Baumer HERE
1967 - 10 February 1967 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Frederick K. Kontner HERE
1967 - 21 August 1967 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John C. Williams HERE
1968 - 18 April 1968 - We lost our Brother Detective Richard F. Bosak HERE
1968 - 12 November 1968 We lost our Brother Sergeant Frant Ankrom HERE
1969 - 20 June 1969 - We lost our Brother William Wilder HERE
1970 - 16 January 1970 - We lost our Brother Police Officer George F. Heim HERE
1970 - 24 March 1970 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Henry M. Mickey HERE
1970 - 24 April 1970 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Donald W. Sager HERE
1971 - 12 June 1971 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Carl Peterson, Jr. HERE
1971 - 01 August 1971 - We lost our Brother Lieutenant Martin Webb HERE
1971 - In June of 1971 - We had our first K9 Dog killed in the Line of Duty. "Shane" RIP HERE
1972 - 26 July 1972 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Lorenzo Arnest Gray HERE
1973 - 01 December 1973 - We lost our Brother Detective Wiley M. Owens HERE
1973 - 29 March 1973 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Robert M. Hurley HERE
1973 - 06 April 1973 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Norman Frederick Buchman HERE
1973 - 22 September 1973 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Calvin M. Rodwell HERE
1974 - 05 May 1974 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Frank Warren Whitby, Jr. HERE
1974 - 01 August 1974 - We lost our Brother Det Sgt Frank William Grunder, Jr. HERE
1974 - 15 August 1974 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Milton I. Spell HERE
1974 - 10 December 1974 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Martin Joseph Greiner HERE
1975 - 13 September 1975 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Edward S. Sherman HERE
1975 - 27 October 1975 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Timothy B. Ridenour HERE
1976 - 16 April 1976 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Jimmy Dale Halcomb HERE
1978 - 15 February 1978 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Edgar J. Rumpf HERE
1978 - 23 April 1978 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Robert John Barlow HERE
1978 - 27 October 1978 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Nelson F. Bell, Jr. HERE
1979 - 02 March 1979 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John H. Spencer HERE
1979 - 19 August 1979 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William D. Albers HERE
1981 - 20 July 1981 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Ronald L. Tracey HERE
1984 - 28 June 1984 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Johnny LaGrone HERE
1984 - 03 December 1984 - We lost our Brother Detective Marcellus Ward HERE
1985 - 08 October 1985 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Richard J. Lear HERE
1985 - 18 November 1985 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Vincent J. Adolfo HERE
1986 - 21 July 1986 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Richard Thomas Miller HERE
1986 - 20 September 1986 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Robert Alexander HERE
1989 - 10 October 1989 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William J. Martin HERE
1992 - 21 September 1992 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Ira Neil Weiner HERE
1993 - 26 May 1993 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Herman A. Jones, Sr. HERE
1994 - 04 Aug 1994 - Police Horse dies in the line of duty. "Bozman". HERE
1994 - 24 June 1994 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Gerald M. Arminger HERE
1994 - 14 October 1994 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Richard Harris HERE
1997 - 07 May 1997 - We lost our Brother Lieutenant Owen Eugene Sweeney, Jr. HERE
1998 - 30 October 1998 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Harold Jerome Carey HERE
1998 - 04 November 1998 - We lost our Brother Flight Officer Barry Winston Wood HERE
1999 - 15 July 1999 - We lost our Brother P/O Martin 'Marty' Domzalski HERE
2000 - 08 March, 2000 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Jamie Allen Roussey HERE
2000 - 21 April, 2000 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Kevon Malik Gavin HERE
2000 - 14 October, 2000 - We lost our Brother Sergeant John David Platt HERE
2000 - 14 October, 2000 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Kevin Joseph McCarthy HERE
2001 - 12 March, 2001 - We lost our Brother Agent Michael Joseph Cowdery, Jr. HERE
2002 - 22 August, 2002 - We lost our Sister Police Officer Crystal Deneen Sheffield HERE
2002 - 23 November, 2002 - We lost our Brother Detective Thomas G. Newman HERE
2003 - 17 April 2003 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Walter A Taylor Jr HERE
2004 - 03 July 2004 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Brian Donte Winder HERE
2006 - 19 May, 2006 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Anthony A. Byrd HERE
2007 - 09 January 2007 - We lost our Brother Detective Troy Lamont Chesley, Sr. HERE
2009 - 19 Nov 2009 - We lost our Brother Special Agent Samuel Hicks HERE
2010 - 27 September 2010 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James Earl Fowler, III HERE
2010 - 16 October 2010 - We lost our Brother Detective Brian Stevenson HERE
2010 - 20 October 2010 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas Russell Portz, Jr. HERE
2011 - 09 January 2011 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William Henry Torbit, Jr. HERE
2012 - 29 August 2012 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Forrest "Dino" Taylor HERE
2013 - 10 July 2013 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Shane Volk HERE
2014 - 14 December 2009, We lost our Brother Officer Robert W. Peregoy HERE
2015 - 09 January, 2015 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Craig Chandler HERE
2017 - 16 November 2017 - We lost our Brother Police Detective Sean M. Suiter HERE
2019 - 09 September 2019 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James Tolson
2021 - 23 Dec 2021 - We lost our Sister Police Officer Keona Holley HERE
2023 - 13 Dec 2023 - We lost our Brother Motors Officer Daoud Mingo HERE
POLICE INFORMATION
If you have copies of: your Baltimore Police Department class photo, pictures of our officers, vehicles, equipment, newspaper articles relating to our department and/or officers, old departmental newsletters, lookouts, wanted posters, or brochures. Information on deceased officers and anything that may help preserve the history and proud traditions of this agency please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department. Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll