https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Public Safety


In our century

In our century

Police departments adopt radio technology to dispatch patrol officers more quickly and catch and deter criminals.
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 1st November 2010

In May 1928, The American City carried one of its earliest accounts of a police department using radios to communicate with officers in the field. The brief article described a system St. Louis had devised in which the police chief could directly alert a local public radio station of a major crime, and news of the crime would be broadcast over the airwaves — to the public as well as police in squad cars. The model was repeated by other cities, including Chicago, according to a report in the May 1929 edition that announced that all squad cars of the Chicago Police Department Detective Division were equipped with radio receiving sets. Chicago’s early one-way radio system was supported by the Chicago Tribune, which operated station WGN. The newspaper installed a direct telephone from the Police Dispatch Section to its station and would broadcast crime news by “cutting in” on regular programs.

The technology proved useful in reducing the amount of time it took to dispatch officers to crime scenes, and by August 1930, St. Louis had installed its own transmitting station that could send messages to receiver-equipped squad cars and police stations using a different frequency than the public radio stations. Roy Glasgow, radio engineer for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department wrote, “There seems to be good evidence that the knowledge of the speed and effectiveness of the police radio system is discouraging a number of the criminally minded, causing them to curtail their activities to an appreciable extent.”

By October 1930, the Michigan State Police had built an addition to its headquarters to house a radio transmitter by the DeForest Radio Co., of Passaic, N.J., and radio receivers were furnished to each sheriff and state police facility and installed in many police cars. Oscar Olander, commissioner of police, wrote that the value of the radio system was in apprehending criminals more quickly. In 1929, for instance, a man wanted by the FBI for participating in the Chicago St. Valentine’s massacre killed a patrolman during a traffic stop and fled. “In this, as in other cases which might be cited, the men would not have escaped if our radio station had been in operation.”

Previous “In our century” Stories

  • In our century — December 1913
    Cities adopt the city manager form of government to improve administration and bring efficiency to operations
  • In our century — October 1913
    Cities take action in the earliest days of motion pictures to regulate content and ensure theater safety
  • In our century — July 1935
    Cities install parking meters in business districts to improve traffic flow, reduce car damage and generate revenue
  • In our century — April 1910
    Cities organize July Fourth events, regulate fireworks to reduce Independence Day injuries and deaths
  • In our century — May 1915
    Cities seize revenue-generating opportunities to provide ice and refrigeration to residents and businesses
  • In our century — May 1914
    Officials invest in maps to guide public projects, improve city administration and communicate plans to the public
  • In our century — September 1915
    Technology develops to ensure the safe movement of trains, cars and emergency vehicles through city streets
  • In our century — July 1914
    Among the early efforts to improve public health, cities invent and seek weapons of mass fly destruction
  • In our century — August 1913
    When bond issues fail, cities seek alternative funding for infrastructure improvements and other public projects
  • In our century — August 1914
    Cities improve cleanliness and public health by strategically placing public restrooms and encouraging their use
  • In our century — December 1914
    Cities begin the tradition of decorating enormous public Christmas trees to celebrate the holidays
  • In our century — June 1910
    Government accounting methods and reports mature from vague and incomplete records to standard formats.
  • In our century — October 1909
    Investigations into corruption and mismanagement lead to (some) reforms in government policies and operations.
  • In our century — January 1913
    Cities experiment with road surfaces and set out methods for funding road construction and maintenance.
  • In our century — September 1909
    Limits on outdoor advertising are set through cities’ hard-fought battles over billboard sizes, messages and locations.
  • In our century — August 1911
    Fire departments gain authority, modern equipment to prevent and improve response times to structure fires.
  • In our century — June 1910
    Street lights become symbols of communities’ economic success, and lighting technology efficiency evolves.
  • In our century — September 1909
    With urban growth comes city leaders’ desire to control and direct it for the community’s greatest benefit.
  • In our century — September 1909
    Cities embrace playgrounds as valuable public assets for children’s safety, health and social development.
  • In our century — September 1909
    Women embrace public causes, work to improve their communities and expand their societal roles.
  • In our century — March 1910
    Cities develop methods, mechanisms and regulations for residential solid waste collection and disposal.
  • In our century — November 1909
    Occupancy laws and social workers emerge in the early 1900s to clean up inner-city neighborhoods.
  • The way we were
    Publisher’s son remembers American City & County‘s roots.
Tags: Public Safety Smart Cities & Technology

Most Recent


  • Amid tech labor shortage, outsourcing digital services could provide relief
    The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated tech and digitization globally, forever changing the way local governments conduct daily business, along with the expectations of constituents. Over the last two years, smart city plans have increased in popularity; services like tax bill payments and licensing have mostly shifted into the digital realm; and town offices evolved into comprehensive […]
  • procurement IT
    The beauty of the beast: Why the pandemic & cybersecurity might actually improve procurement and IT collaboration
    For well over decade, IT managers have listed cybersecurity as their number one concern. Both the CompTIA Public Technology Institute (PTI) and the National Association of State Information Officers (NASCIO) have been tracking top trends in IT management, policy, governance and operational issues as they relate to state and local government. Only recently has “procurement” […]
  • FirstNet Authority CTO highlights coverage-extension efforts as initial Band 14 buildout nears completion
    With AT&T almost done deploying the initial contracted FirstNet 700 MHz Band 14 infrastructure, the FirstNet Authority increasingly is focusing on solutions that will let public-safety users access the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) when outside of terrestrial system, according to FirstNet officials. FirstNet Authority CTO Jeff Bratcher said that NPSBN contractor AT&T repeatedly has […]
  • public health
    Building the public health workforce of tomorrow
    Since the first case of COVID-19 hit the United States, public health units across the country have been working non-stop to contain this deadly disease. In the two years since the first lockdowns, we’ve all seen these professionals work diligently to help educate the public about the risks, give tips on how to prevent getting […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • How governments can keep employees safe as they return to work
  • Preventing cyber-attacks needs to be a priority for local governments
  • Building community and officer wellness through data sharing
  • California city combines advanced technology with dedicated public safety team for comprehensive emergency management

White papers


How to Assemble a Rockstar Website Redesign Steering Committee

7th June 2022

Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters

23rd May 2022

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program

23rd May 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Seamless Cooperative Experience Saves Indiana City Exponentially in Time and Money dlvr.it/SSxp95

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

10 best large cities for fishing dlvr.it/SSxbSZ

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Generational differences present an opportunity to reinvent public sector service delivery dlvr.it/SSxbN7

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Local and state governments are facing a retention crisis; the worst could be yet to come dlvr.it/SSnmS7

24th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid an unprecedented increase in federal spending, cities and counties stand to benefit from partnerships dlvr.it/SSkGBn

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Governments using technology to harness data and improve decision-making dlvr.it/SSk3H0

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Infrastructure highlighted by city leaders as top priority in analysis of 60 mayoral addresses dlvr.it/SSgBck

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Oklahoma City puts the focus on employees when implementing changes in office technology dlvr.it/SSfyns

22nd June 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X