Early Electric Traffic Signals in Cleveland
Cleveland in the early 1900s was an exciting, thriving, growing and potentially dangerous place. The streets were full of pedestrians, horses, wagons, streetcars and automobiles, which caused traffic jams and…
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The Missing History of the Cleveland Mounted Police
While the Mounted Unit of the Cleveland Police officially dates back to 1911, the police in Cleveland utilized horses and even considered forming a mounted squad for several decades before…
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Cleveland Police Ambulance Service
The first emergency motor patrol wagon in Cleveland was purchased in May of 1911 and assigned to the 11th Precinct. It was an 80-horsepower, four cylinder Peerless fitted with a…
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Greater Cleveland Peace Officers Memorial
The idea for the Greater Cleveland Peace Officers Memorial was born at the bar at the CPPA Hall, after the funeral of Cleveland Police Officer Stephan Kovach. The bar was…
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National Police Week
Police officers and the community they served have honored fallen officers since the earliest days of official police departments in the United States but it wasn’t until 1962 that a…
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Mounted Unit: New Stables for Troop A in 1932
Troop A of the Cleveland Police Mounted Unit in front of Cleveland City Hall Troop A of the Cleveland Police Mounted Unit celebrated their move to new stables at 1327…
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A Day in the Life of a 1920s Patrolman
A Cleveland patrolman in the 1920s walked his beat for eight hours a day, carrying most of the equipment he needed to keep the neighborhood safe and to catch criminals.…
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Torso Murders: Identifying the Victims
The Cleveland Police efforts to identify each of the thirteen victims of the Torso Murderer of Kingsbury Run were extensive. At the crime scene, police collected evidence and photographed the…
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19th Century Policing: The Night Toilers
In 1884, the Cleveland Daily Herald ran a feature on the “Night Toilers,” the Cleveland Police officers who patrolled the city’s streets during the evening hours. Below is a transcript…
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Criminal Identification: Plaster Masks
The Bureau of Criminal Identification of the Cleveland Police Department, under Supervisor David L. Cowles, used many tools and techniques to help identify victims and track down criminals. Detective Lloyd…
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Traffic Unit: The Corner Men, Part 8
In 1921 the Cleveland Plain Dealer introduced to their readers the Cleveland Police Officers assigned the difficult task of directing vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the city each day. They…
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The History of the Cleveland Police Badge
by Lieutenant James J. O’Malley, Jr., Retired The badge is probably the most identifiable feature of the American Police Officer’s uniform. Today in the United States, police officers wear a…
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