Detroit Police call boxes

[Ray1936]

In a different galaxy, far away................no, wait. I'm actually talking the City of Detroit from around 1880 to 1980. One hundred years. In that century, the C of D Public Lighting Commission [[PLC) installed over a thousand Gamewell police call boxes in needed areas. These boxes were the only connection a beat officer had to his precinct station. Each box had a separate number which identified the location. Beat officers had to call in and make a pull [[pulling the trip handle to activate a tape that punched out the box number) once every hour. They were even given the precise quarter of hour that had to 'pull'; 1st quarter, ad nauseam.

Up until the 1970's patrol cars also had to make an hourly pull. Although Detroit led the nation in two-way radio communication, even up until the '70s cars could not call back "in servce" with dispatcher via radio; they had to find a call box and telephone the dispatch via land lines. I always thought this was quite stupid in my own experiences, but frankly, some of the DPD leadership in the 60's and 70's were not all that sharp. I'm not gonna name names, although Superintendent Eugene Reuter was probably the dumbest SOB I ever came across in my days. Ray Girardin was okay as a Detroit Times reporter, but his insight into police work as Commissioner was sadly lacking.

Anyway, eventually the call box became a dodo. The Public Lighting Commission [[PLC) who maintained the system began systematic removal of the call boxes as enhanced radio communication made them obsolete. At one point they had hundreds of removed call boxes stacked up along a wall behind the Detroit Fire Academy at Warren & Lawton, and I suspect more that one police officer managed to acquire one for his memorbelia collection.

I eventually acquired one, and have it here in my garage in Henderson, NV [[suburban Las Vegas). I did Jury-rig it to hold a wireless phone so I can answer my land line in the garage. First, an early officer looking for where he stored his bottle, and then two shots of my call box here in Nevada. Enjoy!