August vollmer education act

American police chief (1876–1955)

August Vollmer (March 7, 1876 – Nov 4, 1955) was the rule police chief of Berkeley, Calif., and a leading figure contain the development of the domain of criminal justice in blue blood the gentry United States in the exactly 20th century. He has antique described as "the father pills modern policing".^[1] Vollmer played chiefly influential role in introducing indeed 20th-century police reforms, which to an increasing extent militarized police departments in interpretation United States.^[1][2] A veteran care the Spanish–American War in interpretation Philippines and the Philippine–American Combat, Vollmer introduced reforms that mirrored his experiences in the U.S.

military.^[1]

Early life

Vollmer was born atmosphere New Orleans to German settler parents, John and Philopine (Klundt) Vollmer. His father saw abolish it that he learned denote box and swim, both blame which he excelled at. Prevail his father's death, his be quiet returned to Germany with cobble together children for two years, make something stand out which she returned to Fresh Orleans in 1886, but in a minute thereafter decided to move her walking papers family to San Francisco.

Middle July 1890, the Vollmer kith and kin moved across the bay stop Berkeley.

Before he was 20, August helped organize the Northerly Berkeley Volunteer Fire Department, suggest in 1897, was awarded representation Berkeley Fireman medal. He based his mother and the establish of his family as neat partner in Patterson and Vollmer, a hay, grain, wood favour coal supply store, at excellence corner of Shattuck Avenue courier Vine Street near a shine station north of downtown Philosopher.

In 1898, August enlisted tackle the Eighth Corps of rank United States Army,^[3] fighting unite numerous engagements in the Spanish–American War in the Philippines style well as taking part edict occupation duties following the chain of formal combat. Vollmer keep steady the military in August 1899 and returned to Berkeley.

Wealthy March 1900, he began critical for the local post duty.

Law enforcement

In 1904, Vollmer became a local hero when purify leapt onto a runaway bully freight car on Shattuck Alley in downtown Berkeley and optimistic its brakes, preventing a disconsolate collision with a loaded traveller coach at the Berkeley location.

This event led to top election as town marshal kindness April 10, 1905.

In 1907, Vollmer was re-elected town convoy. He was also elected guide of the California Association strain Police Chiefs, even though, incite title, he was not all the more a police chief himself. Perceive 1909, Berkeley created the organization of police chief, and Vollmer became the first to descend that office.

Drawing on fillet military experience, and his follow research, Vollmer reorganized the Bishop police force.

Vollmer had discovered drift very little literature existed ready money the United States on description subject of police work, inexpressive he located and read cool number of European works proclamation the subject, in particular, Criminal Psychology, by Hans Gross, cosmic Austrian criminologist, and Memoirs indicate Vidocq, by Eugène François Vidocq, head of the detective rupture of the French police top Paris.

He then set come to mind on a program of modernisation. He established a bicycle reconnoitre and created the first focal police records system, designed hold on to streamline and organize criminal investigations. He established a call go on with network. And he trained fillet deputies in marksmanship.

In greatness ensuing years, Vollmer's reputation trade in the "father of modern illtreat enforcement" grew.^[4] He was primacy first chief to require make certain police officers attain college pecking order, and persuaded the University carefulness California to teach criminal rectitude.

In 1916, UC Berkeley intimate a criminal justice program, unyielding by Vollmer.^[5] At Berkeley, let go taught O. W. Wilson, who went on to become organized professor and continued efforts health check professionalize policing, by being depiction first to establish the greatest police science degree at Stately University of Wichita (now Metropolis State University).^[6][7] This is habitually seen as the start loosen criminal justice as an authorized field.

Vollmer's courses taught in whatever way there were "racial types", existing how "heredity" and "racial degeneration" contributed to crime.^[1]

Vollmer was as well the first police chief figure out create a motorized force, evaluation officers on motorcycles and interchangeable cars so that they could patrol a broader area pick up again greater efficiency.

Radios were star in patrol cars. He was also the first to apply for the lie detector, developed make a fuss over the University of California, addition police work. Vollmer supported programs to assist disadvantaged children, humbling was often criticized for her majesty leniency towards petty offenders much as drunks and loiterers.

Proceed also encouraged the employment challenging training of African American (first hired in 1919) and mortal (first hired in 1925) constabulary officers. This included the order of Walter A. Gordon, who became the recipient of picture Benjamin Ide Wheeler Medal hinder 1955.^[9]

In 1921, Vollmer was choose president of the International Exchange ideas of Chiefs of Police.

Vollmer left the Berkeley Police Company for a brief stint pass for police chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1923 to 1924, but returned observe being disillusioned by the evocative of corruption and hostility in the direction of leadership coming from outside prestige department.^{[citation needed]} Nonetheless, Vollmer extrinsic militaristic reforms to the LAPD.^[1]

Vollmer married Millicent Gardner in 1924.

They had no children. Exertion 1926, Vollmer played himself conduct yourself the silent serial Officer 444 which was filmed in City under the direction of Trick Ford's brother Francis Ford.

Vollmer contributed to sections of representation Wickersham Commission national criminal abuse report of 1931, namely consent to the fourteenth and final sum total, The Police, which advocated use a well-selected, well-educated, and well-funded professionalized police force.

Other portions of the Wickersham report were sharply critical of current the cops practice; one of the volumes was entitled Lawlessness in Protocol Enforcement.^[10] Vollmer was the 1931 recipient of the Benjamin Enlarge Wheeler Medal.^[9]

He retired from nobility Berkeley Police in 1932 little his eyesight began to pack up.

He was then appointed chimp a professor of police superintendence in the Political Science Turn at the University of Calif., and went on to construct its School of Criminology. Yes was also among the pentad people elected as the culminating directors of the East Laurel Regional Parks District in 1934. The same year Vollmer was awarded the Public Welfare Award from the National Academy make merry Sciences.^[11] Vollmer authored the 1936 book The Police and Different Society.^[12] In 1941, he was instrumental in the establishment training what would become the Earth Society of Criminology, the hero professional criminological association in rectitude world.^[13]

Drug prohibition

Vollmer was against the old bill involvement with the problem assert drug addiction,^[14] which he believed as a medical and numero uno issue rather than a lawless one: "Like prostitution, and come into view liquor, drug use was sound a police problem; it not till hell freezes over has been and never gawk at be solved by policemen."^[15] Vollmer wrote that enforcement of narrow-minded vice laws leads to policemen corruption and "engenders disrespect both for law and for depiction agents of law enforcement."^[16] Vollmer supported the establishment of accessory distribution, at cost, of insoluble drugs.^[17] Vollmer's views, however, intense little favor in the prohibitionist-dominated consensus of the time.^[15]

Later plainspoken and death

Late in life, Vollmer developed Parkinson's disease and growth.

On the morning of Nov 4, 1955, he told culminate housekeeper, "I'm going to degrade myself. Call the Berkeley Police", then stepped outside and exact so.^[18]

Tributes

• Bald Peak in the hills above Berkeley was renamed Vollmer Peak in 1940.^[19]
• In 2004 position Alameda County Sheriff's Office known as a new 32-foot custom patrolman boat the August Vollmer.
• In 1959 the American Society of Criminology established the August Vollmer Jackpot to recognize an individual whose scholarship or professional activities maintain made outstanding contributions to candour or to the treatment primitive prevention of criminal or criminal behavior.
• In the Nero Wolfe investigator stories created by Rex Obese, Wolfe's doctor, who frequently helps him with his cases, assignment Dr.

  Vollmer.

Notes

References

• Oliver, Suffragist M (2017). August Vollmer: Grandeur Father of American Policing. Carolina Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-61163-559-1
• Carte, Gene Dynasty.

  and Elaine H. (1975). Police Reform in the United States: The Era of August Vollmer. University of California Press.

• Parker, King E. (1972). The Berkeley Boys in blue Story (Springfield, Ill: Charles Catch-phrase. Thomas, 1972)
• International Assn. of Police force Chiefs - Past Presidents
• Berkeley Gazette, April 11, 1905
• Eugenic Nation: Faults and Frontiers of Better Bringingup in Modern America, Alexandra Minna Stern, University of California Neat, 2005
• Go, Julian (2020).

  "The Regal Origins of American Policing: Mobilization and Imperial Feedback in primacy Early 20th Century" American Review of Sociology 125, (5) https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/708464, 1207.

External links