August 15th was the day the Chicago P.D. was established. Orsemus Morrison was Chicago’s first elected constable. A constable is a peace officer that has minimal policing authority, more typically found in smaller towns. During the years of 1838-1854 was when the department consisted of a few officers, constables, and night watchmen who were usually part-time. Their duties at the time were to serve and protect the quickly increasing city. Within the next couple years was when the City of Chicago elected its first City Marshall who was, Orson Smith. Around 1855 Chicago appointed its first Chief of Police Cyrus Bradley, within the next three years the department would have then established uniforms. October 8th, 1871 there was a fire that we now call the Great Chicago Fire because it destroyed three and one half square miles including much of the police facilities. On August 13th, 1913 Chicago PD hired it’s very first female officers. 10 women took the oath as newly Chicago Police Officers. The year 1974 is when female officers were first assigned to actual patrol duties and wearing the same uniforms as the male officers. In 2004 was when superintendent Philip Cline introduced several programs that were built to drop Chicago’s homicide rate. There were plenty of other major dates and events that I could’ve included and it just goes to show how much this department has changed within the last couple hundred
August 15th was the day the Chicago P.D. was established. Orsemus Morrison was Chicago’s first elected constable. A constable is a peace officer that has minimal policing authority, more typically found in smaller towns. During the years of 1838-1854 was when the department consisted of a few officers, constables, and night watchmen who were usually part-time. Their duties at the time were to serve and protect the quickly increasing city. Within the next couple years was when the City of Chicago elected its first City Marshall who was, Orson Smith. Around 1855 Chicago appointed its first Chief of Police Cyrus Bradley, within the next three years the department would have then established uniforms. October 8th, 1871 there was a fire that we now call the Great Chicago Fire because it destroyed three and one half square miles including much of the police facilities. On August 13th, 1913 Chicago PD hired it’s very first female officers. 10 women took the oath as newly Chicago Police Officers. The year 1974 is when female officers were first assigned to actual patrol duties and wearing the same uniforms as the male officers. In 2004 was when superintendent Philip Cline introduced several programs that were built to drop Chicago’s homicide rate. There were plenty of other major dates and events that I could’ve included and it just goes to show how much this department has changed within the last couple hundred