Delaware State Police
()
About this ebook
John R. Alstadt Jr.
Author John R. Alstadt Jr. is the curator of the Delaware State Police Museum. He has previously published In Memoriam, dedicated to Delaware State Police troopers who met untimely deaths, and With Love to Yourself and Baby: The Story of the Poison Candy Murder Case, a tragic double-murder in Dover 1898.
Related to Delaware State Police
Related ebooks
The DuPont Highway Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Castle County Police Department Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCharlotte and Mecklenburg County Police Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProvidence Police Department Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRail Depots of Eastern North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSouthwest Georgia in Vintage Postcards Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCamp Robinson and the Military on the North Shore Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRichmond:: A Historic Walking Tour Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStowe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPresidential Retreats: Where the Presidents Went and Why They Went There Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Historic Photos of Chattanooga in the 50s, 60s and 70s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeadstones of Heroes: The Restoration and History of Confederate Graves in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSneads Ferry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlorence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWicked Herkimer County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsValhalla Memorial Park: The Unauthorized Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGeorgia's Civilian Conservation Corps Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Washington County Chronicles: Historic Tales from Southwestern Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAtlanta's Parks and Monuments Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHirelings: African American Workers and Free Labor in Early Maryland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAtlanta: A Portrait of the Civil War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLansing Correctional Facility Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOak Lane, Olney, and Logan Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Biloxi Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJonesboro and Arkansas's Historic Northeast Corner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gone to the Grave: Burial Customs of the Arkansas Ozarks, 1850-1950 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unvarnished Arkansas: The Naked Truth about Nine Famous Arkansans Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Grand Haven Area: 1860-1960 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRailroads in the Old South: Pursuing Progress in a Slave Society Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Early History of Tennessee: From Frontier to Statehood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Photography For You
Betty Page Confidential: Featuring Never-Before Seen Photographs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Book Of Legs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The iPhone Photography Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bloodbath Nation Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Conscious Creativity: Look, Connect, Create Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Photography Exercise Book: Training Your Eye to Shoot Like a Pro (250+ color photographs make it come to life) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Photographer's Guide to Posing: Techniques to Flatter Everyone Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Photography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Astrophotography Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Haunted New Orleans: History & Hauntings of the Crescent City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Let Us Now Praise Famous Men Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Through the Lens of Whiteness: Challenging Racialized Imagery in Pop Culture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWisconsin Death Trip Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fifty Places to Hike Before You Die: Outdoor Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ballet for Everybody: The Basics of Ballet for Beginners of all Ages Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Extreme Art Nudes: Artistic Erotic Photo Essays Far Outside of the Boudoir Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Edward's Menagerie: Dogs: 50 canine crochet patterns Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Photography Bible: A Complete Guide for the 21st Century Photographer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Patterns in Nature: Why the Natural World Looks the Way It Does Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Workin' It!: RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Photography for Beginners: The Ultimate Photography Guide for Mastering DSLR Photography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fucked at Birth: Recalibrating the American Dream for the 2020s Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Humans of New York: Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cinematography: Third Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Historic Photos of West Virginia Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Declutter Your Photo Life: Curating, Preserving, Organizing, and Sharing Your Photos Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSix Flags Over Georgia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jonesboro and Arkansas's Historic Northeast Corner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Delaware State Police
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Delaware State Police - John R. Alstadt Jr.
(DSPM).
INTRODUCTION
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was little need for law enforcement with jurisdictional responsibilities over large geographic areas. For the most part, a county sheriff or city police department could address the enforcement of criminal violations. Given that society’s transportation needs were met with horses, boats, or trains, there was no need for traffic enforcement; however, with the invention of the horseless carriage and the rapid growth of that means of transportation, the seeds were sown for the creation of a law enforcement agency to enforce traffic laws over a large territory.
For Delaware, public discussions regarding the creation of a state police force began in 1906. Those discussions centered on a few reports of rural disturbances that either overwhelmed the small town police forces or occurred in areas that did not have an organized police department. But it was the automobile that truly created the need for such a force. In 1911, at the southern end of Delaware, T. Coleman DuPont, using his own funds, began construction of a hard-surface roadway that was to traverse the length of the state. In northern Delaware, there were various turnpikes funded by tolls that were maintained to facilitate transportation in most weather conditions. On the national level, the federal government responded to mounting public pressure for improved roadways by providing funding to the states for highway construction. In 1917, the creation of the Delaware Highway Department, to be overseen by the Highway Commission, began the first organized approach to obtain federal funds for the construction of hard-surfaced roads. And so it was that the growth of automobile ownership in northern Delaware—using, in particular, the Philadelphia Pike
between Wilmington and the Pennsylvania line—and the reckless driving that ensued caused a public demand for measures to deal with this new menace.
On January 1, 1920, in response to the attorney general’s request, the Highway Commission hired Charles J. McGarigle as its first traffic officer. Officer McGarigle was paid a monthly salary of $90 and was provided with a motorcycle for his patrol work. The early success of having a traffic officer patrolling a single stretch of roadway led to calls for additional officers to patrol other roads in Delaware. By the end of 1920, the Delaware Highway Department was employing five traffic officers whose salary, after six months of service, had grown to $125 per month. During the year, six motorcycles with sidecars had been purchased at an average cost of $575 per unit. Also during the year, the Highway Commission authorized the traffic police to use a timekeeper’s shack on the Philadelphia Pike as its first station and headquarters.
During 1921 and 1922, the traffic officers continued their duties with no material increase in manpower. A corps of volunteer Citizens’ Highway Police supplemented their efforts, but reports of abuse of power by these volunteers led to calls for a state police department. On April 28, 1923, Gov. William D. Denney approved legislation that essentially created the Delaware State Police. On June 11, 1923, eleven men were hired to supplement the existing four traffic officers, and the first organized training class began. Later in the year, contracts were let, and four stations were constructed for the state police—two in New Castle County, one in Kent County, and one in Sussex County.
During the 1920s and 1930s, the motorcycle was the principal vehicle used by the state police for their patrol duties. No man would be hired as an officer if he could not demonstrate that he could operate a motorcycle. Even experienced officers had accidents and spills, and the number of injuries was significant. Several officers suffered injuries serious enough to require amputation of a limb. While the motorcycle was a cost-effective vehicle for patrol work, its utility was limited during periods of inclement weather and was downright dangerous at night on unlit, poorly surfaced roadways. With the cost of automobiles decreasing, the state police were able to purchase enough cars in 1935 to allocate two per troop. But what really turned the tide against motorcycles was communications.
Communication with a trooper while he was on patrol was difficult at best. In the 1920s, a trooper would ride a particular patrol route and stop at the local post office to see if his services were needed. That system was gradually replaced with the telephone. In 1933, troopers were required to telephone their station every half hour and would receive assignments from the desk officer. In 1936, funds were allocated to install a radio transmission system for the state police. This early system allowed for radio broadcasts from the base station to receivers installed in the patrol cars. The receivers were bulky and not weather resistant, thus could not be installed on motorcycles. Over the next eight years, motorcycles were phased out of patrol work in favor of the patrol car.
While the impetus for the creation of the Delaware State Police was the enforcement of traffic laws, criminal violators were not overlooked. The enabling legislation granted troopers the legal classification of peace officers with the duty to enforce state and federal laws. In the early days, whether it was breaking up a gang of chicken thieves or interdicting bootleggers, the troopers gained a reputation for efficient law enforcement throughout the state. An informal practice was developed that had the most senior troopers at each station assigned to conduct criminal investigations as needed. That system was changed in the summer of 1940 when the Investigative Division was created. Each station would have