PAX Centurion - Fall 2017

Page 50 • PAX CENTURION • Fall 2017 617-989-BPPA (2772) 1635: First night watch established. 1788: The word “Police” appeared for the first time; designate a specific office, “Inspector of Police”. 1822: The Town of Boston became the City of Boston. Increases in the population and in the number of businesses operating created increased demand for police patrol. 1825: Watchman Jonathan Houghton killed in the line of duty Monday, December 19, 1825Assault. 1st Watchman to be killed in the line of duty. 1838: Law passed permitting day patrol. City had a Day Police and a Night Watch, which by all accounts operated completely independently of one another. 1848: Watchman David Estes killed in the line of duty Thursday, April 27, 1848 Gunfire 1851: First Irish Born Police Officer appointed to the Boston Police November 1851 Officer Bernard “Barney” McGinniskin. Officer McGinniskin served for (3) Three years before he was fired for being Irish Catholic. The Emerald Society of Boston and The Boston Police Department Would dedicate a Memorial/Gravestone to Patrolman McGinniskin at St. Augustine Cemetery in South Boston on March 17, 2010. 1852: The Metal badges were issued – a six point star made of brass. 1853: First Harbor Patrol Established. 1854: Boston Police Department established, structured after the model developed by Sir Robert Peele for the London police force. 1857: P.O. Ezekiel W. Hodsdon, first Boston Police Officer to be killed in the line of duty Oct. 18, 1857. Officer Hodsdon was shot in the back of the head attempting to arrest two suspects for a burglary in East Boston. On Oct 18, 2007, the Boston Police dedicate a permanent memorial at the same location Officer Hodsdon was murdered. 1858: Telegraph system completed, linking central office and police stations. 1861: White cotton gloves worn by the officers for the first time. Thereafter, “full uniform” included the wearing of such gloves. 1870: 180 “night walkers” were arrested; most were placed on probation and sent home. 1872: The Great Boston Fire of November 9 and 10 which destroyed 776 buildings. The fire was discovered by a patrolman who was chasing boys on Lincoln Street. 1873: First mounted patrol established in the United States. 1878: First African-American Police Officer appointed to the Boston Police December 25, 1878. Horatio J. Homer who would later retire with the rank of Sgt. on Jan. 1919 after 41 years Chronology of the Boston Police Department Some important dates By Robert Anthony, BPPA Historian of service. The Boston Police would later find out that Sgt Homer was buried in an unmarked grave and they would erect a Gravestone for Sgt Homer and his wife Lydia on June 26, 2010. 1883: Department Headquarters moved from City Hall to 37 Pemberton Square. 1889: Statute passed providing for right-of-way for patrol wagons and ambulances. 1903: First motorized patrol wagon placed in service – a Stanley Steamer touring car operated by a chauffeur; the police officer sat on higher seat so that he could look over high fences. 1906: First Italian-born Boston Police Officer appointed to the Boston PoliceAndrew B. Cuneo, May 9, 1906. 1919: May Day Riots – Captain Hugh Lee and PatrolmanAdolph Butterman are killed in the line of duty, Captain Lee of a heart attack and Patrolman Butterman by gun shot. This is the first time in the Department’s history two Boston Police Officers are killed during the same event. Captain Hugh Lee after research was placed onto the National Law Enforcement Memorial on May 13, 2012. 1919: Boston Police Department Strike – 1,117 policemen went on strike. The officers were not allowed to return to work and were replaced by new officers who received the benefits the striking officers had tried to obtain; salaries were increased, more frequent days off, and uniforms were furnished at department expense. 1921: First Italian-born Boston Police Officer killed in the line of duty. Officer Andrew B. Cuneo was shot in the line of duty onAugust 13, 1921. On October 26, 2011, the Boston Police would dedicate a memorial to PatrolmanAndrew B. Cuneo at the “Prado” in the North End of Boston. 1925: New Department Headquarters built at 154 Berkeley Street. 1940: St. Valentine’s Day blizzard immobilized the city. 1942: Cocoanut Grove fire, resulting in the death of 490 people and injury to 166. 1950: Famous Brink’s robbery occurred in the Brink’s garage on Commercial Street in the North End of Boston. 1972: Improved radio communication system placed in service, including “911.” 1974: Court ordered busing began, requiring the deployment of large forces throughout the city. 1978: The Great Blizzard of 1978 hit, immobilizing the city for several days. 1995: Mobile data terminals become operational, allowing for prioritization of emergency calls. 1997: Boston Police Department moves into its current state-of-the- art Headquarters facility at One Schroeder Plaza.