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Chicago, IL—There is little information provided to Chicago police officers about the department and its rich history. For example many officers don’t know the names of or the philosophy of the past police superintendents and before that, police chiefs.
I’m sure in the Graphic Arts unit there are many old photographs. There are decades of old Star Magazine issues that should be digitized and made available.
If I had about a month and the full cooperation of the department I put up a historical website with the highlights of the department’s good and bad times.
I’d love nothing more than to put up the stories and pictures behind each year’s winner of the coveted Police Medal. The story of these heroes and their moments of bravery are inspiring.
Going through old Police Board files and publishing some of the more notable discipline cases would show how human failings distracted officers from their missions.
The influence of corrupt politicians has left its mark on the department. If we don’t know about the problems how do we avoid repeating the same mistakes?
The department’s crime lab has been able to solve many high profile cases. They have pictures of amazing evidence going back many decades.
The old O’Brien Street academy must have had its share of recruit's ghosts running through the boiler room at night. I bet you could also hear the ghostly screams of recruits as the bones in their wrists snapped during defensive tactics training.
I had to laugh when I got this old picture of the academy. In the picture I can see my old blue 1971 Chevy Vega. That was Motor Trend Magazine's, Car of the Yrar. I had my “get out of parking tickets” stickers from the IPA and COP on both sides of the windshield. (See lower left corner of the picture)
There must be a real history buff that will handle this important mission.
Comments
It's all who you know or who you blow on the Chicago Police Department!
Visit the IPA office at 7508 W. North Ave. Elmwood Park, IL. to join
Visit the IPA website at www.ipacops.org
They can ALWAYS use more active members
LAPD has a historical society
Its an old PD which started back in the seventeen hundreds.
CPD is real big and old they must have some type of historical society.
PI
Construction began at new academy in 1975 but it was not operating until about December of 1976.
Those appointed April 26, 1976 attended in both facilities. They received their bacic required certifificates at O'Brien Street and then completed everything else on Jackson.
Of course there are the few of us that were sent out undecover after the first part of their training was completed only to return quietly as a retreads once their assigments were completed in multi-jurisdictional agencies.
As for me I had started with the Cook County Sheriff's police in 1967. I was drafted in 1968-70 and returned there before being appointed to the CPD later.
Signed, A Retired CPD Cop
Street in 68 as a Cadet.
The went through as a P.O. in 72.
The smell from Maxwell street is still in my head.
When we had to have documents noterized, we had to pay one of the sergeants 3 dollars at a time when the fee was .50 cent at a currency exchange.
Ah,,the good ole days. Jim August