DPD memories of a half-century ago......

[Ray1936]

Early 1960s. Working 2-1 [[Vernor Station), Vernor to the River, the John Lodge to 14th street. Not much there but warehouses, a couple of all-night diners, the post office, and Ste. Anne's Church. Midnight shift. Not a creature was stirring and.....well, you know the drill. Coffee stop at 1:00 a.m., lunch at 3:00 a.m.

Finally, about 4:00 a.m., pull into the train sidings at the foot of 12th street. Regular group of fishermen along the rail, hoping for a carp to come along and make their night exciting. Would shoot the breeze with most of them, talking about the Tigers or whatever was going on at the time. Occasionally one would proudly show off a largemouth bass that was unlucky enough to be passing by. As they wandered off, one by one, back into the car, and turn the transistor radio on to "Nightflight 760" for an hour of elevator music. Maybe you and your partner might drift off a bit, but you heard every word from KQA-371, even thought Scout 2-1 rarely got a mention.

Finally about 6:30 a.m, you got a run to the Post Office to escort an armored truck carrying cash reserves to the Federal Building. Quick trip downtown, then back to the precinct, where the sun was struggling to rise. Off-duty roll call at 8:00 a.m., and home to bed.

My God, that's the way police work used to be. I grieve for those on the job today, wherever they may be.

[jcole]

Used to worry myself sick back in the late 60's/early 70's about my dad getting home safe. Can't imagine what it's like to be a cop's kid now.

[SyGolden48236]

It is very sad and really pathetic the way some elements of society regard police officers these days. Imagine how terrible life would be with no police protection. Ray, thank you for your service for so many years. And a special thank you to all of today's police officers for all they do to protect people, even those people who would rather spit on them [[or worse) than thank them for their service and sacrifice.

[Lowell]

Ray I just love your descriptions. You should have been a writer. Maybe you still will be. But don't you think that describes maybe 95% of police work even now? Sort of like a description of war I once heard, 95% sheer boredom and 5% sheer terror.

What has to weigh on one is that 5% sheer terror part that can come so suddenly and without notice, like the sickening events we hear about now.

I am curious as to your take on what the mindset must have been like in 1971 when 9 DPD officers were killed by gun fire. It must have driven your family nuts.
https://www.odmp.org/agency/1000-det...tment-michigan

[Bobl]

An uncle served a few more years in the army after WWII, then joined the Detroit Police Department. He never had his weapon out until summer of 1967. Many WWII vets would speak of life before and after the war. He spoke of before and after 1967.

[Ray1936]

Ray I just love your descriptions. You should have been a writer. Maybe you still will be. But don't you think that describes maybe 95% of police work even now? Sort of like a description of war I once heard, 95% sheer boredom and 5% sheer terror


I am curious as to your take on what the mindset must have been like in 1971 when 9 DPD officers were killed by gun fire. It must have driven your family nuts.
https://www.odmp.org/agency/1000-det...tment-michigan

I've heard that 95/5 job description as applied to airline pilots, but, yeah, law enforcement, too.
My memories of 1971 are mainly of the funerals that followed the shootings, as I was involved in most of them [[at that time I was a Sgt. at the Motorcycle Traffic Bureau, so we escorted all the processions). Actually, I have a hard time recalling the tragedies that happened during my 29 years, but I remember the funny things that happened vividly. I would suppose that's healthy. Even during the '67 riot, a few humorous things occurred that I still recall. For instance, our MTB squad was in a V formation on 12th street, when we heard the rumbling of some National Guard armored personnel carriers. One sergeant looked through the smoke and asked, "Are those our tanks?" Lead man with the shotgun replies, "If they ain't, I'm leaving."

Hey, it was hilarious at the time. And thanks for the kind words!

[Hardhat]

Ray, everybody who grew up in Southwest Detroit knew of the police station at Fort and Green. Not so much the Vernor Station. Is that the building that became the Third Precinct?

[Bobl]

Used to worry myself sick back in the late 60's/early 70's about my dad getting home safe. Can't imagine what it's like to be a cop's kid now.

Jcole, I am glad your dad survived. He actually had it worse than today. In 1974, 280 officers were killed nation wide. There has been a downward trend since then, with124 killed in 2015. One is too many.

[jcole]

Jcole, I am glad your dad survived. He actually had it worse than today. In 1974, 280 officers were killed nation wide. There has been a downward trend since then, with124 killed in 2015. One is too many.

This was one of my dad's partners; dad was off this night.
https://www.odmp.org/officer/11695-p...eph-salatowski

[preserve]

The old Vernor Precinct is now empty. It was taken over by artists a few years ago and they cleaned it up and had a few exhibits, but now I don't think anything is in there. If I remember right, the west side had all even number precincts and the east side got the odd numbers. Vernor was the 2nd and Fort/Green the 4th. I lived west of Junction, so basically we were in Fort Green where I took my driver's license test. Later moved into the area patrolled by the 2nd Precinct and was very unhappy when the HMFs decided to close out the neighborhood police stations.

[erikd]

It is very sad and really pathetic the way some elements of society regard police officers these days. Imagine how terrible life would be with no police protection. Ray, thank you for your service for so many years. And a special thank you to all of today's police officers for all they do to protect people, even those people who would rather spit on them [[or worse) than thank them for their service and sacrifice.

Is it really much different these days? There was certainly a lot of anti-establishment sentiment and attitude in the late '60s and early '70s, especially towards the military, and also the police, perhaps to a lesser degree.

It seems to me that the American soldiers coming home from Vietnam were treated worse than the American soldiers returning home from Iraq decades later, even though both wars were unpopular at home.

I think that we often have fond memories of the past, even if the good old days were even worse than the current environment.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

I respect the service that policeman do protecting citizens, and most are good, but there are a bunch of bad eggs that need to be weeded out, or re-trained. It's reprehensible what's been happening lately, with some abusing their power to intimidate people for no reason, the case in Minn, cop shoots and kills man, after he tells him he's a licensed CPL holder with a gun in the vehicle, the black mental health worker in Fla, protecting a autistic patient that was still shot, after his hands were up and abiding the law, and the black schoolteacher in Austin Texas that was brutally assaulted by a cop, last June after a traffic stop, and the video wasn't released until recently, the chief or the department didn't even know it occurred. It's shameful, and has to stop....

[erikd]

I respect the service that policeman do protecting citizens, and most are good, but there are a bunch of bad eggs that need to be weeded out, or re-trained. It's reprehensible what's been happening lately, with some abusing their power to intimidate people for no reason, the case in Minn, cop shoots and kills man, after he tells him he's a licensed CPL holder with a gun in the vehicle, the black mental health worker in Fla, protecting a autistic patient that was still shot, after his hands were up and abiding the law, and the black schoolteacher in Austin Texas that was brutally assaulted by a cop, last June after a traffic stop, and the video wasn't released until recently, the chief or the department didn't even know it occurred. It's shameful, and has to stop....

There are a few bad apples in every bunch. There are some crooked accountants, corrupt lawyers, abusive teachers, pedophile priests, dangerous doctors, abusive cops, etc. Every profession has a few bad people who abuse their positions and authority.

The police are facing a lot of criticism right now because they are unwilling to admit that there are a few bad apples wearing badges. This is the same thing that the Catholic Church did with the pedophile priests, and Penn State did with Jerry Sandusky. They don't want to lose the respect and trust of the public, so they try to sweep instances of misconduct and abuse under the rug.

I feel bad for the vast majority of cops, who are good people, and do their jobs well, but refusing to acknowledge and deal with the issue is not a solution.

[Ray1936]

Ray, everybody who grew up in Southwest Detroit knew of the police station at Fort and Green. Not so much the Vernor Station. Is that the building that became the Third Precinct?

Yes. It was originally the 2nd Precinct station, which replaced a warehouse up around Brooklyn and Michigan, which replaced the old precinct station at Michigan and Trumbull when Michigan was widened in the late 1920's. Chief William Hart changed the designation to the 3rd Precinct about 1984. There was no 3rd, 7th, or 9th precinct at that time, and he wanted a neat sequential numbering systems. So a bunch of numbers got changed. Then, some coppers refurbishing his home found some money in the ceiling and things turned to poo-poo for Hart.

Back in the day, lots of the coppers at Vernor precinct ate lunch at Duly's, and got haircuts at Tom's Barber shop across the street. Fort and Green was a great precinct back then.

[kathy2trips]

Yes. It was originally the 2nd Precinct station, which replaced a warehouse up around Brooklyn and Michigan, which replaced the old precinct station at Michigan and Trumbull when Michigan was widened in the late 1920's.....

Thanks for bringing up this topic, Ray. And I agree with Lowell, you could go pro. You are always informative and entertaining to read, which many so called professional "writers" are not.

Now if I remember my history correctly [[and by all means, feel free to correct me because you know better than I), we DID have a logical precinct numbering system for most of Detroit's history: even numbered precincts were on the West Side, odd numbered on the East. Number One was, I believe, 1300 Beaubien, Downtown HQ.

Here are some photos to share with you of vintage east side Detroit police stations:


Here's the gorgeous 3rd at Hunt on Dubois/Gratiot [[1916 Photo)
Please take care of this beauty, Detroit!


Attachment 31136
Here's the old 5th on the corner of Amity and McClellan [[date unknown)


Attachment 31137
Here's the old 7th on the corner of Canfield and Chene [[date unknown)

I wish I could remember which website I got these photos from so I could tell you where I found them, as they were all there. But I only copied these for myself for a different project, as I believe [[and I may be wrong again) that all these stations were still operational in the mid-1950s. Looking at the cars on the last 2 photos are a clue as to the date.

[Ray1936]

Great old photos, Kathy! On that bottom one, my eyes see a '48 Ford and a '47 Studebaker, so I'd put the photo in the very late forties. Here's the precinct numbering system that used to exist prior to 1984.
1st Precinct, located in Police Headquarters at 1300 Beaubien. Actually they had their own address around the corner at 500 Clinton.
2nd Precinct, Vernor between 20th and 21st.
3rd Precinct, Gratiot and Hunt, closed in 1954 with the territory absorbed by the 7th Precinct.
4th Precinct, Fort and Green
5th Precinct, McClellan and Amity until early '60s; replaced at E. Jefferson and damnIforget.
6th Precinct, McGraw & Braden
7th Precinct, Gratiot and Mack, replaced the one shown above on Canfield
8th Precinct, Grand River and 12th, closed in 1954, territory absorbed by 2nd precinct.
9th Precinct, John R. and Bethune, closed in 1954, territory abosorbed by 13the Precinct.
10th Precinct, Petoskey and Joy Road, closed in early 60s, new building at Livernois / Burlingame.
11th Precinct, E. Davison and something [[dah!)
12th Precinct, W. 7 Mile and Woodward
13th Precinct, Woodward at Canfield
14th Precinct, Schaefer and Grand River
15th Precinct, Connor and Gratiot
16th Precinct, Grand River and McNichols [[opened in 1955, taking half of the 14th Precinct.

The old 9th Precinct building still housed the DPD Mounted Section for many years after it closed.
The old 8th Precinct building still housed the Youth Bureau for many years.

I browsed through some old DPD annual reports I have and was surprised to note that the writeups for each precinct failed to note the address of the building. Shame on the editor! [[Wait....that was me! Dah!)

[Jimaz]

Thanks for bringing up this topic, Ray....
Attachment 31137
Here's the old 7th on the corner of Canfield and Chene [[date unknown)

I wish I could remember which website I got these photos from so I could tell you where I found them, as they were all there....

Google Images couldn't find the first two photos but apparently the third came from Ray1936 himself!

• Discuss Detroit » Hall of Fame Threads » Detroit Precinct Police Stations...
• Discuss Detroit » Archives - January 2008 » Canfield Station, Old and "New".

[Ray1936]

Sheesh. I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, so no surprise that an old posting was mine. LOL.

[jcole]

#5 was at Jefferson/St Jean in the 60's and 70's, Ray.

[Ray1936]

#5 was at Jefferson/St Jean in the 60's and 70's, Ray.

Right you are. Since I was always a west-sider, ez for me to forget.

[kathy2trips]

Right you are. Since I was always a west-sider, ez for me to forget.

Yeah, that mid-century modern style new 5th on St. Jean was always a favorite of my mom. The mentality of the big shots in Detroit in the 50s was that people were leaving because everything was "old", if they urban renewal-ed as much as possible. people wouldn't leave. Yeah, right. We lost a lot of good stuff that way. I'll get back to the 5th in a minute

You west siders should know, if you don't already [[and everybody for that matter), that there is a major effort to restore and re-use the 6th precinct at Mc Graw and Braden. I wish them TONS of luck and help, and a fairy godmother wouldn't hurt, either. They even have their own Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/6thprecinct If you're on Facebook, friend them and spread the word. I think our architectural treasures will be Detroit's saving grace. Everyone that can be saved is a feather in our cap, and all the great Detroit architects of the past smile down upon us. There's a nice photo and some info on the DetroitTurbex site here: http://www.detroiturbex.com/content/...raw/index.html

I have some old newspaper clippings about the purchase of the property and dedication of the new 5th precinct. I haven't found a photo of it in the clippings, but Lowell posted a photo of the St. Jean building from 2008 in the old thread: http://www.atdetroit.net/forum/messa...tml?1220436215

Here's when the property was bought [[January 12, 1960) and some history about the property. Sorry if these don't come out right, I'm still learning to do this.

Attachment 31148

Dismayed at vandalism? I despise it, but unfortunately, it's nothing new in La Belle Detroit. This clipping is from July 25, 1961. I wonder if they did time?

Attachment 31149

But, they got it all together by September 7, 1961...the first new police building construction since 1948.

Attachment 31150

[kathy2trips]

Food for thought, this is an editorial from October 15, 1962 Detroit Free Press. Just think how brave it would be today for a lone policeman to walk up to this bunch of folks. No wonder there's "no peace"!

Attachment 31152

[Ray1936]

GREAT stuff, Kathy! Thank you for sharing!

[ct_alum]

Great old photos, Kathy! On that bottom one, my eyes see a '48 Ford and a '47 Studebaker, so I'd put the photo in the very late forties. Here's the precinct numbering system that used to exist prior to 1984.
1st Precinct, located in Police Headquarters at 1300 Beaubien. Actually they had their own address around the corner at 500 Clinton.
2nd Precinct, Vernor between 20th and 21st.
3rd Precinct, Gratiot and Hunt, closed in 1954 with the territory absorbed by the 7th Precinct.
4th Precinct, Fort and Green
5th Precinct, McClellan and Amity until early '60s; replaced at E. Jefferson and damnIforget.
6th Precinct, McGraw & Braden
7th Precinct, Gratiot and Mack, replaced the one shown above on Canfield
8th Precinct, Grand River and 12th, closed in 1954, territory absorbed by 2nd precinct.
9th Precinct, John R. and Bethune, closed in 1954, territory abosorbed by 13the Precinct.
10th Precinct, Petoskey and Joy Road, closed in early 60s, new building at Livernois / Burlingame.
11th Precinct, E. Davison and something [[dah!)
12th Precinct, W. 7 Mile and Woodward
13th Precinct, Woodward at Canfield
14th Precinct, Schaefer and Grand River
15th Precinct, Connor and Gratiot
16th Precinct, Grand River and McNichols [[opened in 1955, taking half of the 14th Precinct.

The old 9th Precinct building still housed the DPD Mounted Section for many years after it closed.
The old 8th Precinct building still housed the Youth Bureau for many years.

I browsed through some old DPD annual reports I have and was surprised to note that the writeups for each precinct failed to note the address of the building. Shame on the editor! [[Wait....that was me! Dah!)

Ray: #5 was at Jefferson & St. Jean, now home to ICE.

[kathy2trips]

Have you seen this video on YouTube?
Detroit Police Department - Training, Operations, City Streets - 1950s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7o0_PMv72A

[[oh, now I know how to pronounce "TUEBOR"...finally!)