Cincinnati Police Department History – 1925 to 1949  

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The Greater Cincinnati Police Museum

“Preserving the History of Law Enforcement in the Greater Cincinnati Area”

 


 

Cincinnati Police Department History – 1925 to 1949  

1926
1-Jan
City Manager control over police per City Charter; placed with all other executive branches of municipal services
1927
Districts reduced from 10 to 7 and majors assigned as superintendents of each.
1927
Teletype system of inter-communication installed
1927
Traffic Control assigned to Superintendent of Traffic, taken from patrol
1928
Bureau of Records established with a new system that was basis for the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) which was used in Cincinnati until 1997 and still used in a vast majority of cities.
1928
Patrol Cars: Coupes introduced
1928
Patrol Cars: Motor patrol replaced foot patrol in outlying districts, completely motorizing the department
1928
Traffic signal lights installed downtown and patrolmen who had directed traffic with hands and whistles given newly established small beats in the congested area
1928
Uniforms: Present style of uniforms adopted along with .38 caliber revolver
1929
Salary for officers start at $1500 and go up to $1860 after four years. Officer purchased own replacement uniforms and revolver. No pay for overtime, working seven days a week with two days off each month and 15 days of vacation annually.
1929
School of Instruction for new men lasted 60 days and included First Aid.
1930
City population – 451,160
1930
1-Mar
District 7 opened at 813 Beecher Street
1930
Complement – 662
1930
Director of Safety restored and the police force becomes a division
1930
Police power conferred on Fireman, making them a valuable auxiliary.
1930
Temporary details at schools
1930
University of Cincinnati electrical engineering student retained to design, construct, and install a radio system
1930
Women’s Detention moved from top floor to bottom floor of City Hall
1931
Arrests for Prohibition number 2322
1931
16-Jun
Dispatch: Radios installed in 51 patrol cars using composite receivers and copper screen antennas installed under the canvas car top
1931
16-Jun
Dispatch: Station X, 1 sergeant and a radio operator, housed at Central Station in City Hall, and transmitter (500W at 1706KHz AM), repair facility, and “T” antenna at the old Water Works pumping station in Eden Park, call letters WKDU
1931
City Retirement System established, replacing the Police Relief Fund for Police Employees
1932
Dispatch: Radio System enhanced to transmit to Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont, Kenton (KY), and Campbell (KY) Counties’ sheriffs
1932
Mar
Police Library opened in basement of City Hall
1933
Safety Patrol organized citywide
1934
Police Crime Laboratory established at Pathological Building of Cincinnati General Hospital, equipped with ballistic, X-ray, polygraph, photographic, and other equipment and a microscopes.
1934
Traffic Accident Investigation Squad established
1935
Weatherly, Col. Eugene T.
Chief (24th), to 1951, 15 years, 1 month
1935
Police Credit Union, one of the first in the country for police, established
1936
1-Jan
Central Station re-established at City Hall to centralize command and control of Division
1936
Complement – 633
1936
Identification System by marks and scars established
1936
Traffic Accident Investigation Squad equipped with cameras, measuring tape, road flares, first aid kits, etc.
1936
Target Range built at Bald Knob
1937
Annual Medal Shoot for members initiated
1937
22-Sep
Hamilton County Police Association formed
1937
Complement – 714
1937
Ohio River crested at 80 feet, 28 feet above flood stage, and 24 square miles of Cincinnati were under water.
1937
Police Recruit classification established
1937
Target Range built at Bald Knob
1938
“Memo” system adopted
1938
Citation book adopted and warning tags established for non serious offenses
1938
Loud Speaker car purchased
1938
Patrol Cars: Sirens and special speedometers installed in 21 vehicles
1938
Police Wrecker purchased
1938
Teletype system replaced, ready for interstate communication, installed by Bell Telephone Company
1938
Uniform policy included white shirts for all and allowed for not wearing coats in extremely hot weather. Winter overcoat with combination lapel/collar approved
1939
City Safety Lane for compulsory inspection of motor vehicles opened
1939
Police Traffic Safety School started to provide education for adult automobile drivers. The requests for enrolment far exceeded the facilities.
1939
Patrol Cars: Blow out proof tires installed on cars intended for chasing speeders
1939
Handcuff belts purchased
1939
Motorcycles: Four three-wheeled motorcycles purchased for downtown parking enforcement.
1939
Calls for Service: 1,811.256
1939
Complement — 732, 2.2 per 1000 residents, 30% smaller than comparable cities, 57% with more than ten years tenure, 1 Chief, 1 Assistant Chief (Lt. Col.), 9 majors, 5 captains, 32 lieutenants, 36 sergeants, 2 detective sergeants, 48 detectives, 567 patrol
1939
Ott, Ptln Fred, District 7
Annual Shoots Competition won by Patrolman Ott with 264 of 300. Average score 30 points higher than in 1938.
1939
Cincinnati Police Memorial Athletic Association established with 525 members to raise funds for indisposed members and annual memorial services for departed members
1939
Boy’s Club sought out by division in attempt to answer juvenile delinquency with a building in the West End where the boys may fill their leisure time with varied activities including art, music, games, gymnasium, athletics, handicraft, motion pictures, e
1940
Battley single-fingerprint file installed as integral part of Identification Bureau, supplementing the Henry System of ten-print classification
1940
Blockade Plan established, with Cincinnati Police Station X at its center, whereby at a broadcast of an alarm, each member unit sends men to cover a predetermined escape of fleeing criminals.
1940
City population – 455,610
1940
Complement – 732
1941
Camera: Century police camera purchased for Identification Bureau
1941
9-May
Fraternal Order of Police, Queen City Lodge #69 established
1941
Dispatch: Consultant retained to design a new police dispatch center in he Communications Building (1430 Martin Drive) and install 40 police and 10 fire division two-way radios in vehicles
1941
Division of Communications established in Department of Safety
1941
Electrically cooled drinking fountains installed in every patrol station
1941
Parking Meters installed
1941
Police Relief Fund reestablished, by court order, and police officers are forbidden to remain in the City Retirement System.
1941
Speed Check, using start and end painted lines 113 feet apart and a stop watch, provided mathematical certainty of speeds
1942
15-Feb
Dispatch: 2-way radio system established, RCA 10M 1000/500W AM phone transmitter and three 500W 3-channel CW transmitters and 200 ft. tower antenna operating as 5/8 wave vertical radiator. Mobile units were 20W RCA AM units operating at 30.58MHz.
1942
Public Address Car purchased – “Safety Car” with loud speaker mounted atop a standard sedan
1942
Sidearms: Revolver, issued to police recruits as an important measure in attracting men to join the force
1942
Uniforms: Winter and Summer uniforms issued to recruits
1942
Urinalysis used in cases of drivers or accident victims suspected under the influence of alcohol
1943
140 stars in Cincinnati Police service flag by year’s end?
1943
1-Aug
Juvenile Crime Prevention Bureau established
1943
Iodine fuming chamber installed at Bureau of Identification for raising latent fingerprints on paper surfaces
1943
National Traffic Safety Contest: Cincinnati awarded First Place and Runner Up Award in Ohio Traffic Safety Contest
1943
Speed Graphic camera and accessories purchased to facilitate photographing fingerprints at crime scenes.
1944
159 stars in Cincinnati Police service flag by year’s end.
1944
Auxiliary Police Corps established to augment the force during W.W.II manpower shortages
1944
Dispatch: Radio System enhanced to a 35MHz base station and 10 FM mobile units installed, later 35 FM mobile units
1944
Traffic signal lights studied and it was found that the amber light between lights changing from red to green were causing accidents. Recommended the amber by bypassed in this sequence.
1945
Crime Laboratory moved from District Three station house to newly remodeled rooms at City Hall
1945
1-Dec
Basham, Wanda; Degenhardt, Elizabeth; Rankin, Lucy; and Weiler, Ruth
Policewomen: First policewoman hired, along with Elizabeth (Pack) Degenhardt, Wanda Basham, and Lucy Rankin, for service in Youth Aid Bureau.
1945
Keeler Polygraph purchased for Police Crime Laboratory
1945
Race Relations Detail established as permanent investigative unit to handle clashes or incidents involving racial, national, and religious group differences.
1946
Court time, two hours for every case attended on off time, and time for some holidays approved for police officers
1946
Juvenile Crime Prevention Bureau changed to Youth Aid Bureau
1946
Police Swing Band established with five instrument and a vocalist or appearances at safety programs and gatherings of teen-age groups.
1946
Target Range in Lockland purchased
1947
Missing Persons Unit established within Youth Aid Bureau
1948
District 6 opened at Delta Avenue and Columbia Parkway, moving out of Eastern Avenue station house
1948
May
Felon Registration began
1948
School Crossing Guard (adults) Program established
1949
Dispatch: Radio System enhanced to high band FM system, base frequency 156.45MHz, mobile units 156.09MHz. Three base stations operated simultaneously; 1706 AM, 35MHz, and 156.45MHz, until all units converted to the latter
1949
Tattoo File started in Bureau of Identification

 

 

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