This Is Your Police Department (1951)

to a born I will protect a word remindful of the days when nights wore armor we defend their walled cities against invading today there are no walls city but the word to a4 is still living word for the guardians of your city the men of the Detroit Police Department here are men experienced in every phase of police work men familiar with the workings of the law men who are proud of their heritage to the Detroit Police Department to a boar has deep significance for 365 days a year 24 hours a day rain or shine these are the men who served the city of Detroit working together as a team for the protection of the lives and property of the people of neutral this is the story behind these men and the organization that produces then perhaps the most important part of the story is the selection of the men who are chosen to become members of the department and the methods by which they are trained take Joe for example he came as many of the recruits to from a small town in Michigan he was looking for a life that would give him the feeling of being worthwhile both to himself and to the community in which he worked here at police headquarters Joe and other applicants were tested for physical fitness and mental ability or an officer must be alert both physically and mentally his body and mind must be a coordinated team the police department investigated his background his school record his home environment his personal habits every effort is made to select the finest men Joe along with other recruits was accepted and assigned as a cadet to the police academy for six weeks or more of study and lectures on departmental rules and regulations criminal law rules of arrest traffic rules and court procedures he learned to use all types of firearms and spent many hours in target practice marksmanship might someday mean saving his own life and the lives of other people he learned the importance of first aid and the diagnosis of civil injuries knowledge that often means the difference between life and death for an injured person in commando practice cadet officers learn how a group of men working as one can be an effective wedge between destructive mobs and the peaceful citizen and his property Joe with other cadets found our modern scientific crime detection speeds the work of every department the machine they are watching is a spectrograph one of the newest and most useful pieces of equipment in the laboratory on this machine any substance of unknown origin such as a strand of hair or a piece of wire can be compared with any known substance and its identity established the result is of tremendous importance in solving crimes and presenting court evidence some of the police academy work was fun like the day Joe volunteered to be a guinea pig for a polygraph or I detector test now Joe thought he could fool the machine but when the machine showed he was lying just for fun of course he readily admitted that the polygraph had outsmarted him then came that great day when Joe first put on his new uniform now a graduate of the police academy he was assigned on probation to a precinct station for six months there was no doubt in his mind that he would earn the right to wear that uniform permanently he was now officer Joe his dream was a scout car of his own but he didn't mind being assigned special detail work he'd let him into strange places let him behind the scenes to learn the real purpose of leisure as he took part in drunk ometer text for example Joe began to feel that he was apart even though a small one of Detroit's campaign to cut down on accidents and loss of lives caused by drunk drivers he began to see the importance of prevention whenever possible prevention of accidents and prevention of crime but Joe found there are times when it's too late for prevention when a crime has already been committed then it is the police department's job to fit together the pieces of the puzzle that make up the crime and using all the modern scientific police methods trace and prove the guilt of the person or persons responsible sometimes Joe was sent out for duty at school crossing experienced officers of the police departments youth Bureau work for the schools teaching traffic laws and laws of courtesy to our youth of Detroit to help them become useful citizens of tomorrow by taking part of the responsibility today little by little Joe learned the insight patience and tact a police officer needs to carry on his work he was learning fast each day before an officer begins his tour of duty he is required to copy the information posted on the teletype for this review ensures prompt action on missing persons stolen cars and persons wanted for investigation by the police department Joe spent some of his time on duty checking car licenses training his eyes to observe and his mind to remember descriptions of persons one oh it wasn't an important arrest and Joe wasn't a hero but for the first time he felt as though he really was a police officer and somehow his uniform seemed to fit better the police department thought so too at the end of six months probation Joe received his certificate confirming him as a patrolman not for the one arrest he made but because in his whole probation period he had proved himself to be alert willing to take orders and carry them out and firm but courteous in his contacts with the public as a patrolman Joe began to understand the real significance of police work the steady workaday jobs such as checking houses where occupants are on vacation and have left an open invitation to housebreakers it was his job to prevent crime whenever possible once in a while he found himself working with a younger generation on his beat youngsters who have a yen to find out what the world outside their yard is life and discover it's pretty big and confusing when mother isn't there yes Joe got to know his area pretty thoroughly he forgot about wanting to be a hero there were plenty of other compensation of course there were dozens of times when he had to do things that weren't Pleasant like giving a ticket to someone Park willfully in a no parking zone but it was all a part of his job it was a long time in coming but he was finally assigned to a two-way radio car car 88 it meant a great deal to it a successful step in his career he met the man who was to be his partner and experienced patrolman from whom he could learn a great deal car 88 was a part of a carefully planned system devised for the patrolling of the city of Detroit every hour of the day and nights here's how the system works the city of Detroit is divided into police precincts each precinct is divided into scout car territories the number depending upon the size of the precinct and the amount of activity in that precinct the two men who transmitted orders to scout cars the radio dispatcher and the dispatch clerk are always veterans of many years experience in police work they must decide in a few seconds what course of action should be taken on a call they must know every minute what cars are available for assignments Joe seldom saw those men but their voices became a part of his life 881 3341 Mark Twain family trouble family trouble about twenty percent of the calls that come into the station our family trouble and this was joe's first call joe had visions of being a hill of defending some frail little woman whose husband was mistreating her in this case Joe was told by a ruffled lady of the house to mind his own business if she and her husband wanted to throw things at each other that was their business as the week's went by Joe began to feel at ease in the daily routine of a scout car patrol he learned to know the people in his area it was like keeping his fingers on the pulse of a gigantic heartbeat this little part of the city that it was his job to protect Joe and his scout car partner worked as a close team for each other's protection for they never knew when an assignment no matter how it sounded would turn into something vicious and dangerous 84 and 88 2136 West forest at the payroll office pulled up in progress in emergencies like this all those months of training and experience begin to pay off Joe reported by radio that the holdup men had been taken into custody but not before Joe's partner had been injured by gunfire West Side security patrol and eight sergeants 2136 West Forest an officer shot wagon on the way that started Joe thinking his own partner wounded in line of duty sooner or later it always happens to some friend in the department Joe understood now by policemen were considered bad insurance risks he was thinking of his partner's family and of his own the Joe as to his partner in all patrolling it meant a great deal to know that the police department would see that they and their families were taken care of in the event anything happened he thought about that when he was asked to take part in the police field day which is held each year to raise funds to supplement the insurance of least when feel they arrived as many officers as can be relieved from duty donate their time and services to make it a day all Detroit will remember for more than 20 years Detroit citizens young and old have considered police field a one of the highlights of the summer season over the years hundreds of thousands have attended these afternoons and nights of sport fun review and spectacular demonstration unfilled a the department invites all Detroit to share in honoring its hero ordinary police officers will during their work at a routine met the challenge of their jobs of felt and beyond the call of duty you this is your Police Department in renewal these are the guardians of your city then work together 365 days a year to serve the people of Detroit work together as an integrated team for the protection of life and for me to all Detroiters are the distinctive uniforms of the stationary traffic and accident prevention Bureau as a battalion of its men marching by not only the men of the uniformed division but a battalion of men in plain clothes marches in review proud representatives of the detective bureau at few day you'll see some of Detroit police women officers of the law from the women's division loyal like their brother officers to the departmental motto to a bore I will protect and everyone gets a kick out of watching the expert driving of aflatoun from the motorcycle traffic you and here come the clown one of the popular attractions of field a these clowns are not professionals but present or retired members of the Detroit Police Department who incidentally spend many hours preparing and presenting the shows they've here for thousands of hospitalized and orphaned children every year you since police officers must be an excellent physical condition to perform their rigorous duties competition is keen in the races and other field events but the Detroit Police teams have won a majority of these national and international field Davies the tug of war has been a featured contest between the Toronto Police and Detroit Police Department since the first field day back in 1927 in recent years thanks to championship form like this these riders had the winning team and speaking of championship teams field day features an exhibition by the Detroit Police World Championship pistol team expert marksmanship by the men of your Police Department a new when striking field day event is this close order drill two platoons of men from the Detroit Police Academy most of them Army veteran following commands with military precision in perfect shape but nothing can capture the eye and quicken the heart like the exhibition drill of the mountain here's striking pictorial evidence of skill training painstaking practice and excellent horsemanship since it was established almost 80 years ago the mountain division of your police department has won more than 100 trophies in state national and international competition these are the men who protect your recreational areas and public heart who control important traffic 7 and who lead the way in restoring order during emergency all of the members of the Detroit Police Department working together as a coordinated team to give you the fun the excitement the thrills of fielding and to help take care of their own to ensure that the protection they spend their lives giving to the city of Detroit will be as generously extended to their own family yet this is your feeling every friend every Bureau every division works together this day just as they work together every day in the year these are the guardians of your city the men and women who are always on duty this is the team that protects your property and you this is your Police Department