Title: Commissioner Roosevelt : the story of Theodore Roosevelt and the New York City police, 1895-1897 /
Authors: Jeffers, H. Paul 1934-
Publisher: J. Wiley & Sons,
Year: 1994
Subjects: Roosevelt, Theodore,; Police chiefs New York (State) New York Biography.; Police administration New York (State) New York History
Abstract: In the Gay Nineties, no place so fully embodied the outrageous lawlessness of turn-of-the-century America as New York City - until a thirty-seven-year-old political reformer named Theodore Roosevelt emerged as president of the New York City Police Commission. How did Roosevelt transform an association of slackers, bullies, thieves, and blackmailers into one of the first truly professional law enforcement agencies in the world? H. Paul Jeffers skillfully recreates the era to illuminate Roosevelt's vision, toughness, and political savvy. By hiring the first woman in the department's history, and opening admission to ethnic minorities, the new commissioner tore down the old guard and ushered in the new. Firearms training, undercover detectives, a physical typing system that was the precursor of fingerprinting, annual physical exams for all officers, bicycle patrols, and a host of other modern innovations all became tools to build a new urban institution.^
Contents: Prologue: Mr. Steffens Gets an Assignment -- Ch. 1. I Have Read Your Book -- Ch. 2. Mulberry Street Blues -- Ch. 3. "TR is enough." -- Ch. 4. The Gospel According to Teddy -- Ch. 5. A Set of Teeth -- Ch. 6. Midnight Rambles -- Ch. 7. Honesty and Efficiency -- Ch. 8. "I deal with the law." -- Ch. 9. Unbought, Unawed, Unknown to Fear -- Ch. 10. Other Half, Other Hat -- Ch. 11. Very Rough Work -- Ch. 12. "Pistols or anything else." -- Ch. 13. Nothing of the Purple -- Epilogue: A Larger Kingdom.