By Mike Simmons
1821 – James Craig was appointed the first Pensacola Police Officer. He was a former Andrew Jackson soldier and most recently a citizen of Pensacola. When he was appointed, he was a member of the Pensacola family. When he had to straighten out a problem, he knew practically everyone he talked to. Eight years later, in 1829, Sir Robert Peel put into words the relationship James Craig had with the citizens when he said, “The police are the public and the public are the police.”
In 1884, Pensacola was reorganized, and the Pensacola Police Department followed. There were sixteen officers, most of which walked a beat, just as Mr. Craig had done. However, the supervisors were given horses, which allowed them to cover more ground in the same time, but removed the officers somewhat from the citizens.
Around the turn of the century, foot patrol (and opportunities to connect with the public) was still popular, but horses were used more often. In addition, the Captain of the Watch would drive a horse-drawn buggy.
In 1913, the Pensacola Police Department purchased the first motorcycle. It was a great tool because officers could go faster and catch cars, which were becoming more popular. However, the officers, who drove faster, lost more contact with the public.
The following year – 1914 – the police department bought its first automobile, a used Ford Model–T. Again, most officers still walked, but it was more popular than ever to ignore the citizens and hustle to the next call.
As the years went on, all officers (except one, who walked downtown) were issued automobiles to drive while at work. They had a roof and windows, and in the winter, officers rolled the windows up, further separating them from the people they served.
As technology advanced, cars became faster, and were outfitted with AM radios, and air conditioning. Later, AM/FM radios kept the officers’ attention even more.
These advances were good and bad. They allowed ten officers to cover the entire city by being available to be called to certain sites in a matter of minutes. But…the windows went up, the AC came on, and officers lost contact with citizens.
The latest advancement was in-car computers. No longer do officers need to know the city. They only have to be led from place to place to answer calls.
Today, most officers are expected to be available to run from call to call, leaving even less time with the citizens. More efficient, yes. But are they more effective?
Interesting…
Mike
Very well said. Citizen contact is vital to the Officers and to the Citizens but today it’s all but gone. I remember, as a Rookie Officer being assigned occasionally, to a walking beat in Downtown Pensacola. I had a Senior Officer’s assigned to me, such as, Johnny Cascone. His job was to introduce me to the business owners and employees so I could get to know them. I also worked with Freddie DeFranco, as well as “Phony” Marsh and Harry Clopton. These men taught me the importance of knowing the people on your beat, helping them and listening to them. Getting to know the People was still important to the Pensacola Police in 1974 but it was fading away.