Baltimore Police CID - Criminal Investigation Division - There was a time when before arriving to the scene of the crime a detective knew what happened, and who did it. Then we started getting better detectives, guys and gals that worked a scene, talked to witnesses, neighbors, those arrested in the area, and anyone they could get information. Like anything, we had good and we had bad, Thank God, we had many many more good, than we had bad.
The Homicide Unit in our department is one of the most prestigious and well-known of the units, right up there with K-9 and the Aviation Unit. You will see our BPD Homicide personnel in action from the past up to the present and see how they have solved some of the worst crimes men can commit. Our own guys who have been able to bring closure to grieving families that have lost a family member
Monday, 12 January 1880 was the 150th anniversary of the actual founding of Baltimore- the following pages are from a newspaper article about those 150, now more than 285 years. On January 12, 1730, the first stake was driven into the ground for the survey of the original plats of this great city, which, unlike some of the mushroom cities of the West that presume to be its rivals, has a history as well as a future, a pedigree as well as great expectations. There can be no better guarantee of a glorious future than an honorable and reputable past, and this The Angels of Baltimore present unchallenged to the inspection of the world.
Baltimore City Police
Historical Society Flag
Before 1970, the Baltimore Police Department didn’t have a police flag. It was rumored that then-Police Commissioner Donald D. Pomerleau wanted an honor guard, having seen other departments with honor guard units carrying American flags, state flags, city or county flags, and their departmental police flags. The commissioner knew that to look our best, we would have to have a police flag of our own. So he had someone work on a Baltimore Police flag, and by the end of 1970, the 3rd of December, to be exact, we had our flag. A little more than a year later. Pomerleau would also have his honor guard. It should be noted that prior to the 1972 Honor Guard, we had a kind of Honor Guard within our Mounted Unit, but the official Departmental Honor Guard wasn't founded until 1972. Mounted has always added a certain touch of class to our department, and their Honor Guard was not lacking. However, this is more about the Baltimore Police Flag, a flag that didn’t have the kind of thought or time put into it that it deserved. The 1970s, much like today in Baltimore, were busy and violent; we had large numbers of losses within our department, and Commissioner Pomerleau felt our fallen should be sent off in honor; he wanted the best Honor Guard he could form; had he put the time into seeking a flag that would represent more than just getting our police? After all, our police represent our city and the people that live, work, and spend their recreational time in it, as well as the tourists that come to visit. Baltimore is a beautiful city with outstandingly dedicated police, and as such, it deserves a well-designed flag.
Proposed BPD Flag
On December 3, 1970, Commissioner Pomerleau unveiled his flag, a simple light blue field with BALTIMORE in an arched ribbon above our insignia and POLICE in an arched ribbon below our insignia. That's it: light blue, Baltimore Police, and the Maryland Flag embossed in our 4th issue badge. (For FOR MORE INFORMATION - SEE OUR PATCH HISTORY ). The flag had the department’s name embroidered in a ribbon on a light blue hunk of flag-shaped fabric. What our. What the 1970 police flag failed to offer was something other agencies seemed to have overflowing in their departmental flags; cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago, just to name a few, had meaning in their flags. Flags that connect with the police and the community they serve. Our flag was lacking significance, with no ties to the police, the communities, or the people we serve.
We are hoping to correct that with this proposed Baltimore Police Flag, a flag that serves to remember our past, our present, and our future. It will represent our fallen, our injured, our retired, our active, and our future police officers. But not just police officers; this flag represents those we serve, those we protect, and the neighborhoods and communities of Baltimore. It is important that Baltimore's history be represented in our police flag.
First, let's take a look; this is our current flag. As mentioned above, it has a light blue field with no stripes and holds our police emblem, an emblem that has meaning but shouldn't stand alone. Having the shape of our 4th issue Baltimore Police Badge, embossed with our state flag, the state flag holds meaning, as it is a quartered flag that represents the Calvert and Crossland families' coats of arms. Over the badge-flag combo is the Battle Monument, again full of Baltimore City's rich history. Above and beneath this are two simple banners, telling those viewing them that it is our Baltimore Police flag. It could and should say more.
Looking at the Baltimore Police Flag compared to the NYPD Flag, it is obvious our flag was just slapped together.
The New York Police Flag and ours—as we already discussed, there is no significance to our flag. But take a look at the New York Police flag. The official flag of the New York City Police Department was created in 1919. It is flown outside precincts and other NYPD buildings. It bears five alternating green and white bars, representing the five boroughs of New York City: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. There are 24 stars on a field of blue in the left upper corner of the flag. The blue field represents the police department. Twenty-three of the twenty-four stars represent the separate towns and villages that became part of New York City under the Consolidation that took place in 1899. The 24th star represents New York City itself. Of those towns and villages that became part of New York City in 1899, eighteen of them had separate police departments that joined together to become part of the NYPD.
Let’s take the Baltimore Police flag, strip it down to a blank, and build a flag that has meaning.
To start, we took a simple white flag, which, by the way, even a simple white flag has meaning, but we are not ready to wave that flag just yet. First, we'll need to include what is called the "HOIST." Normally, the hoist is made of canvas or nylon material doubled or even tripled over and sewn onto itself, with two or more grommets added for strength and as a way to attach it to a flagpole. After the hoist, we’ll add a vertical stripe about the same thickness, maybe a little wider than that of the hoist but not as wide as any of the nine horizontal stripes we'll be adding in a moment. Next to the vertical stripe, we'll add nine horizontal stripes, one for each of our nine districts. Last but not least, we'll add a field in the upper left-hand corner of the flag. We'll also make a vertical flag version for special events and displays.
Next to the Hoist, we added a Vertical Stripe
From there, we included nine Horizontal Stripes
Then we added a Field to the upper left corner 
Then we started adding color and explaining what these colors meant. Let's first talk about something this flag should represent. Since a flag should have meaning, it should tell about our past, our present, and our future. To represent our past, we took the color from the 1970 flag and used it in four of the stripes on our proposed flag.
The Past: As mentioned, the light blue comes from our old flag and will be used on four of the nine stripes, not just to represent our history, those who have served, those who have retired, and our old flag, but because our department initially had just four districts.
The Present: The next four stripes alternate between light blue and dark blue, two down from the top and two up from the bottom. The dark blue stripes about the shade of our uniformed pants will represent our active police and the future, or those who will someday wear that Baltimore Police Blue on their trousers.
After this, we filled in that 9th horizontal stripe with black to
represent, and never let us forget our fallen.
Now for the vertical stripe that we put next to the hoist,
we colored that one red to represent our injured
To start work on designing the "Field" in the upper left corner of the horizontal flag, or the top center of our vertical flag, we used the same dark blue that was used for the active officer's in the horizontal stripes. The "Field" will blanket the city with our motto. A motto that we have had since 1880 and whether you knew the words or just what they stood for, our officers since the day they were sworn in have always lived by a code that has had us Ever Ready, Ever Faithful and Ever on the Watch
As important to a flag as the colors and the stripes are the stars. We initially added 14 large stars representing our 14 seats of city council— good or bad, it represents those who took an oath to serve and protect those council districts—past, present, and future.
Then we added our Baltimore Police patch, a patch that has built-in meaning, with a banner filled in with our 1880 motto, Ever on the Watch. This is so people will recognize right off the bat that this flag is the flag of their Baltimore Police Department Historical Society.
Now going back to the stars and our Baltimore Police History, the 20-point badge, aka the 3rd ISSUE, was first worn in 1862 and had 20 points to represent the 20 wards our police served and protected. Here we added 14 large stars for the 14 council seats. We want to add smaller stars to represent the people that live in our city, those that lived in the city, or those that someday will. Again, we wanted to focus on the past, present, and future. It is not just the past, present, and future of our police; it should also include the past, present, and future of our city's residents, some of whom we had great relations with and others who were not so good. That is not to say that law-abiding people were always good, and criminals were always bad. There were many times when the roles of those who were law-abiding and the roles of those with criminal records were not what one might suspect they would be with their police.
Our intent was to offer this to the police department so our police flag might have meaning. But after all the work we put in, we felt it might be better to keep it as our historical society police flag. This will be the perfect flag to represent all that we represent—our past, our present, and our future.
NOTE: When Ken had a meeting with the last commissioner (Michael Harrison), he presented several of his ideas, and the commissioner said, while he liked the ideas, he doesn't make any decisions on his own; instead, he forms a committee, and after some consideration, they take a vote and either vote an idea in or pass on the idea. Needless to say, Ken was not thrilled. Here, the leader of a police department sends his men and women out on the streets to make split-second decisions that could cost them their lives. Men and women who don't have the benefit of a committee to help with lifesaving or life-threatening decisions. So, Ken put all his ideas in a folder and never met with PC Harrison again. He then took his flag design and the service ribbon idea to our committee, a committee of four, and asked what we thought about taking these two ideas and using them for our own. Adopting the flag as our own historical society's BPD flag and using the ribbon to make hat patches for our retired and active members to show their pride in their service to the city. Ken's committee worked differently than the former commissioners; in our case, Ken presented his two ideas and said, "I am going to initate this flag as the Baltimore Police Historical Society official police flag and this ribbon as our served with honor ribbon." Explaining what the stripes, stars, and colors in each meant, he asked if there were any objections. Well, considering that while the patch was being designed, it was discussed, changes were made, and the design was agreed upon, there were no objections there. Seeing as how the flag has so much meaning and is for a historical society, he again received no objections, and both the flag and service ribbon were adopted for our use on that day in 2019.
Further Flag Research
During our research, we also learned that when hanging a horizontal flag vertically, someone will almost always hang that flag backward, or it will just naturally become backward through a window or door opening. So we made a vertical version of our proposed flag that can be used if needed. We just figured for the sake of completeness that it might be worth presenting, with this design giving us a version of our flag that cannot be hung wrong and would also serve our Honor Guard in a way that other flags have failed.
Donations help with web hosting, stamps and materials, and the cost of keeping the website online. Thank you so much for helping BCPH.
POLICE INFORMATION
Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and/or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and/or Brochures Information on deceased officers and anything that may help preserve the history and proud traditions of this agency Please contact retired detective Kenny Driscoll.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to honor the fine men and women who have served with honor and distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.
Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History: Ret Det. Kenny Driscoll
An incident that brought out the abilities of the Baltimore police force was received during the railroad riots of July 1877. Abilities making Baltimore’s police shine. Monday, July 16, 1877, the Firemen of B&O Railroad’s freight engine team left their jobs. It was a time when the people of this city had lost their heads when the policemen in Baltimore, under the leadership of Deputy Marshal Jacob Frey, remained cool, they were brave, and they were strong-minded. A strike was brought about by the Firemen of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad’s freight engine team. A strike that was brought about after a 10% reduction was taken from their wage. These men demanded that well before the cuts, they were working at a pauper’s wage, but that with the cuts, they could not afford to live the life of a vagrant. The Railroad, however, declared that a downward spiral in the overall business interests of the country had compelled the pay cuts and made them unable to pay a higher wage. It was the beginning of strong unions.
A list of known firsts that occurred right here in Baltimore.
Baltimore City Police
Departmentals
'CRASH SQUAD' CARS ARRIVE FOR POLICE
2 February 1938
The Sun (1837–1989); Feb 2, 1938; p. 7
'CRASH SQUAD' CARS!
Arrive for the police!
New Autos, To Probe All Accidents,
To Go Into Service When Equipped
Crews Will Test Brakes of the machines involved and Photograph Scene Three automobiles for the "crash squad" of the Police Deportment have arrived and will be placed in service as soon as they are equipped, Capt. Henry C. Kaste, head of the Traffic Division, announced yesterday. The machines will investigate all automobile accidents and will have decelerometers for testing the brakes of cars involved in crashes, as well as photographic equipment for recording the actual conditions after the accident
Two-Way Radios
They will have two-way radios, sirens, and blinking red lights to enable them to get to the scene before the positions of the cars have been altered. The crews, graduates of the University of Maryland's Traffic School, will render aid to the injured and will reroute all traffic until the conditions have been photographed and measured.
Officials hope to relieve the foot patrolmen of responsibility for traffic accidents. Members of the "Crash Squad" will be given two days and a month in traffic court to handle their cases, and the new manner of collecting evidence is expected to result in more convictions, particularly in fatal accidents.
Squad Still Nameless
Serge. Clarence O. Forrester is head of the squad, which is still officially nameless. Other cities with similar departments have decided upon "Accident Investigation Department" for a title, and it is expected that this choice will be made here also.
The "crash squad" was organized according to a report from the Baltimore Safety Council in April 1937, which recommended it as "a vital need for the securing of evidence." In conjunction with the council's report, the grand jury urged the squad's creation as a means of reducing accident fatalities and injuries.
Nice Committee Calls Three Traffic Experts
Three traffic experts will appear before Governor Nice's automobile insurance committee at a meeting to be held at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Emerson Hotel. They are: Dr. S. S. Stineberg, Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Maryland, is conducting the traffic school there. John P. Rostmeyer, director of the Baltimore Safety Council. Preston D. Callum, chairman of the Baltimore Traffic Committee. The committee was named by the governor shortly after the first of the year to make a study of automobile insurance in the state and to make recommendations to him and the next general assembly.
Members of the committee are:
George W. Baulk, chairman, and W. Harry Haller, of Frederick, representing the insurance companies. John T. Shipway, of Flintstone; Jos. Eph S. Bigelow, of Annapolis; and J. Francis Rahlke, of Westminster, representing businessmen. Max Sokol, secretary, and Robert R. Carmen, representing the legal profession. The last Legislature passed a resolution calling for the appointment of the committee.
Sun Paper Pic
Sun Paper Pic
Sun Paper Pic
Sun Paper Pic
Radio Policeman Hurts In 70-Mile-an-Hour chase Car Skids Crashes
Into Speeder On Hanover Street A radio car patrolman is recovering today from serious injuries received when his scout car crashed into a machine on the Hanover Street bridge during a seventy-mile chase after a speeding driver. The policeman, Robert Rice Thirty-eight, and Gardner Sparhawk, first block of Wheeler Street, driver of the other machine, are under treatment in the South Baltimore General Hospital.
CAR SKIDDED
Patrolman Rice said that he was alone in the radio car when he saw a car speeding past the intersection of Hanover Street and Reedbird Avenue. He gave chase and had nearly caught up with the car when his car skidded on the bridge and crashed into Sparhawk's machine.
HEAD INJURIES
Patrolman Edward L. Sewyer had left the scout car a moment before the chase started. Had he been in the car, he probably would have been killed, for the right side of the car was demolished. Rice and Sparhawk received head wounds, and the patrolman is also suffering from internal injuries. This is what happened to the scout car driven by Patrolman Robert Rice when it skidded into another machine on Hanover Street Bridge last night. Patrolman Rice was pursuing a speeding· motorist at 70 miles an hour. The patrolman was seriously injured. Photograph copyright, 1938, by The Baltimore New-Post. All rights reserved.
Sunpaper pic
Baltimore police
23 November 2014
12 O'Clock Boys
Three officers seriously wounded
Officer 'fighting for his life' after pursuit police said should have stopped
One Baltimore police officer remained in grave condition Monday after the patrol car he was in slammed into a telephone pole Sunday afternoon after continuing a pursuit his commanding officer had called off.
A female officer, who was also in the car, remained in critical but stable condition with broken bones. The crash also involved the driver of a moped police said the officers had pursued, who was also injured and is hospitalized.
"One officer at this moment is fighting for his life at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center," Baltimore Police Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said.
The crash occurred about 1 p.m. Sunday in Northwest Baltimore. The incident began after an officer saw a group of dirt bikers assembling in an alley, police said. Upon being spotted by police, the riders fled on their bikes, except for one man, who ran. The officer followed in his marked patrol car and saw the man hop on the back of a moped that stopped to pick him up.
Patrol officers in the area caught and lost sight of the pair on the scooter at various times, Rodriguez said. Spotting it, three officers in a patrol car gave chase, Rodriguez said. The scooter at that time was only carrying a driver.
Baltimore police have a strict policy that allows officers to pursue if the vehicles they are chasing carry suspects who pose immediate and serious threats to the public. Officers must get permission from a shift commander to pursue.
In this case, a sergeant told the three officers to discontinue the chase, Rodriguez said. Fifteen minutes later, officers called for paramedics, he said.
The patrol car had continued the pursuit and crashed into a telephone pole in the 2200 block of Kirk Ave. after the scooter made a hard turn into an alley, police said.
Rodriguez said police don't know why the officers disobeyed an order to stop.
"We want to know why," Rodriguez said. "We have more questions than answers, but we are attempting to get those answers."
Rodriguez said forensics investigators and members of the police's CRASH team were called to retrace the moments preceding the crash. A police helicopter was also used to survey the crash site and map the route the pursuit had taken.
The third officer in the patrol car, a man, was not hurt. Rodriguez said investigators want to know why three police officers were in the patrol car. Marked cars are meant to carry no more than two officers.
While dirt bikes are illegal in the city, the moped was a licensed city vehicle, Rodriguez said. Fleeing police was the only violation the driver could be cited for, he added. No charges have been filed against the rider.
Baltimore Police's Force Investigation Team, which reviews shootings and other serious incidents in which police force is used, is investigating.
Police did not release the names of the moped driver or the three officers, who, Rodriguez said, ranged in experience from a few years to about a decade on the job.
Police said the dirt bikers had assembled in the alley to attend a large motorcycle rally that was held a few hours later.
Scores of dirt bikers and spectators took to the streets around Druid Hill Park on Sunday afternoon for a memorial ride in honor of Devin Rankin, known among riders as "Lor Dev." Rankin was shot to death Thursday in the 4600 block of Mannasota Ave. in a killing that remains unsolved.
Some on social media referred to him as the "no-hands king" because of his ability to ride on one wheel without steering. Copyright © 2014,
Courtesy Officer Howard Smith 
Courtesy Officer Howard Smith 
Courtesy Officer Howard Smith 
Courtesy Officer Howard Smith
COURTESY SGT. ROBERT FISCHER
On May 26, 1965, at 10:30 AM, Northern District Radio Car #502, manned by Officer Robert DiStefano driving and Officer Robert Michael, were responding to a Signal 13 (Assist an Officer) call when, at the intersection of 29th and Remington, they were cut off by a truck that had gone through a red light. RC 502 was being operated with “lights and sirens," which struck the truck and turned it over on its roof. The truck then hit a utility pole, which prevented it from breaking through the show window of Jarman Pontiac. Notice the indentation on the side of the truck. Joe deCarlo was the sergeant and responded to the accident scene.
PHOTO COURTESY MAJOR ROBERT DiSTEFANO
PHOTO COURTESY MAJOR ROBERT DiSTEFANO
PHOTO COURTESY MAJOR ROBERT DiSTEFANO
PHOTO COURTESY MAJOR ROBERT DiSTEFANO
PHOTO COURTESY MAJOR ROBERT DiSTEFANO
A.I.D. accident report detailing the accident investigation
PHOTO COURTESY MAJOR ROBERT DiSTEFANO
BPD NEWSLETTER
CRUISING PATROL 10-7
PADDY WAGON MAKES IT'S LAST 10–14 RUN
2013 Officers Hit by Another Car
Photo courtesy Officer Bill Edgar
Photo courtesy Officer Bill Edgar
Several wrecked Baltimore Police vehicles sit on a storage lot at the Dickman Street garage
NOTICE
POLICE INFORMATION
Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and/or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and/or Brochures. Information on deceased officers and anything that may help preserve the history and proud traditions of this agency. Please contact retired detective Kenny Driscoll. How to Dispose of Old Police Items If you come into possession of Police items from the Estate or Death of a Police Officer Family Member and do not know how to properly dispose of these items, please contact: Retired Detective Ken Driscoll - Please dispose of police items (badges, guns, uniforms, documents) properly so they won’t be used improperly.
Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at @BaltoPoliceHist or like us on Facebook by clicking HERE Pictures can be mailed to Baltimore City Police History, 8138 Dundalk Ave., Baltimore, Md. 21222
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History: Ret Det. Kenny Driscoll
Robert A Miller Jr
Park Police 1959
Courtesy Robert Miller
Courtesy Robert Miller
Police Officer Robert Aaron Miller, known as "RAM" Robert Aaron Miller or the "The Dog Man" began his career with the Baltimore City Park Police where he would work Motors among other duties before the Park Police would Merger with the City Police. As a member of the City Police he took part in helping to build the K9 unit. Under Police Commissioner James M. Hepbron, Officer Miller would volunteer for and be found qualified to work as part of Baltimore's experimental K9 unit.
THE METHOD OF SELECTING OFFICERS:
It must be kept in mind that an officer to work with a dog must want to do so-he cannot be forced into the job as his reactions to his work reflects in the animal. All officers, therefore, must volunteer. From this list they are carefully screened and selected. First, they must meet certain requirements:
(a) They must live in their own home. This home must have adequate ground or a yard to house and care for a dog.
(b) The officer's wife and family must be investigated from the stand point of willingness and approval.
(c) They must have available an automobile to use at all times.
(d) Their personnel record with the department must be good.
(e) Sufficient practical police experience or knowledge before being assigned to unit.
The cost of the K-9 Corps consists of the salary of the personnel assigned to the unit plus an estimated" figure of $200 per year per dog. (This latter figure is based on the cost of food, equipment and veterinary charges.) All dogs have been donated outright to the department for use in police work. They must be German Shepherd dogs (male) sound of body, physically fit and of good even temperament-neither vicious nor shy, and preferably under 3 years of age. No kennel facilities are provided. Each dog is assigned to an officer and from that point on lives with him at his home. The fact that the dog is with the officer constantly not only provides a closer bond of relationship between man and dog, but it also eliminates the necessity of the erection of expensive kennels and the personnel to staff same. Food is purchased by the department and distributed to the individual officer as required. This food consists of a kennel biscuit and canned horse meat or beef. Each officer is taught to train his own dog. The dog is first trained, in basic obedience, and tested for gun shyness. Next, attack work and then trailing (location of lost persons or criminals). Finally, the dog is trained to locate articles or materials that could be used as evidence. (It is extremely important in the attack training that the dog attacks only on command of his handler and releases immediately when told.) Officer Miller met or exceeded every requirement becoming one of Baltimore's first K-9 officer/handlers. Officer Miller was the handler to a dog named Tuefel #46 of Baltimore first 62 dogs. Often the way it was done, would be to obtain as many dogs as they could, all dogs were donated to the Department and were usually between 9 months and 1 1/2 years old when accepted. The training director then was, Sergeant Thomas A. Knott, he would inspect all dogs offered to insure that they are in sound physical condition and of good disposition. Once found qualified the dog is turned over to a veterinarian for an extensive check-up to discover any possible physical or medical defects. The dogs and handlers are then paired and begin schooling. The team of instructors was comprised of two experienced trainers Officers William A. Lejewski and John F. Barnard. This Education and Training Unit is supervised by Sergeant Knott a twenty-three year veteran of the Department. Sergeant Knott has been training dogs for more than forty years.
The teams become well versed in building and field searches for both subjects and objects. This training also includes the recovery of weapons. Among the thirty-nine dogs and handlers deployed by the Department many were also proficient in specialized areas. Five were effective in bomb detection and over one half of the dogs have proved to be reliable in drug detection. Officer Miller took part in a new training program was introduced to enable K-9 teams to detect the presence of deceased persons. The Officers, in their continuing effort to improve and refine the skills of their dogs, also spend many off-duty hours in training. Numerous teams hold American Kennel Club Degrees. The Companion Dog Degree can be obtained only after a dog receives a minimum score of 170 out of a possible 200 points by three different AKC judges in obedience. The Tracking Degree is awarded to a dog who follows a 500 yard track left by a stranger within 40 feet, under the watchful eyes of two AKC judges. The track must be from fifteen minutes to two hours old. This must be accomplished while on his handler's lead and at the end, locate an object left by the stranger. The special skills developed by the teams are applied almost daily. A systematic search of a large building for a suspect by a group of eight to ten officers would take three to four hours. The same search by a Canine team requires only one-fifth the time.
German Shepherds could be handled, trained to see which were trainable and which were not, pretty fast. Baltimore required a different kind of dog, so while nearly all dogs can be trained to be a good guard/security dog, only a few could be Baltimore dogs. Our dogs had to be ale to be around kids, and adults, even disobedient criminals without biting, or attacking unless given a command. It took a special kind of person to be a handler, further it took a special family, because the handlers of the Baltimore K9 took their work home with them, Officer Miller and his family helped form what has become one of America's best K9 units, they helped set up a program where when dogs didn't make the cut here, they sent on to the military where some went on to be quite heroic. As one of the first members of what became one the finest K9 units in the country, Officer Miller and his family along with only a select few other officers with their families in the unit developed a training method that would go on to be copied by nearly every K9 unit in the country. Our hats off to Officer Miller and the other members of his unit. See our K9 page HERE
P/O Robert A Millers Jr's 1960 - Baltimore Police Winter Coat
with Emergency Services Arm Band
Shoulder Patch
P/O Robert A Miller Jr's 1960 - Rocker Shoulder, and K9 patch
P/O Robert A Miller Jr's Leather K9 Handlers Jacket
Officer William Miller
Off Miller with Tuefel
Baltimore Bomb Squad R Miller in State Police Vehicle
RAM's Bomb Tech ID Card
RAM w/ Tuefel
R Miller's FOP Membership Card signed by D Woods 1972
Robert Miller Served a term as 1st Vice President of FOP Lodge #3
Courtesy Robert Miller
Courtesy Robert Milller
RAM's family showing how their K9 became part of the family
Wallet Photo
A Family Dog
Robert A Miller's Retirement
Current Pics of the RAM 2014
POLICE INFORMATION
If you have copies of: your Baltimore Police Department class photo; pictures of our officers, vehicles, and equipment; newspaper articles relating to our department and/or officers; old departmental newsletters; lookouts; wanted posters; or brochures. Information on deceased officers and anything that may help preserve the history and proud traditions of this agency. Please contact retired detective Kenny Driscoll.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to honor the fine men and women who have served with honor and distinction at the Baltimore Police Department. Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History: Ret Det. Kenny Driscoll
Through this page, he will never be forgotten, as we will always have a place to come visit our brother, Police Officer Jim Mitchell. God Bless, and Rest in Peace Jim We all love you
Circa 1956 with a 1948 Buick
1957 Jim Mitchell
A nightstick, his claw and that smile
Commissioner Bishop Robinson
Retirement 1986
When Bishop Robinson passed away (7 January 2014) WMAR Channel 2 Baltimore did a story on "The Bishop", and used this picture among others to tell Commissioner Robinson's Story. I had written Jim, and Jim wrote the following:
It all started back in 1956 when Ed Tilghman & I were in the academy together & we both started together in the old NW on Pennsylvania Ave. After we moved to WD he eventually got promoted to Sergeant. He became our squad leader and he made his OIC. Much later he was promoted Major & came back to command the WD. During this period is when there was an opening for a new turnkey, I put in for it and got it. I worked along with Griffin Dobyns. Again Tilghman was promoted he was replaced with Major Boles. In 1981 I had a heart attack, I was placed on light duty by Major Boles and before long I had become his errand boy; Something that I disposed. Eventually he wanted to get rid of his light duty personnel and I was transferred to Headquarters Security. One day while I was in the security booth of the garage on Frederick Street my good friend Tilghman came through and saw me, he stopped and asked why I was there. After explaining everything to him, he said he was going to get back with me. About a week later I got a phone call a home from Lt O'Hara who informed me that he had set up an appointment to meet with Tilghman, as Tilghman wanted to know if I would be interested in a job offer he had me. After hearing what he wanted me to do I quickly accepted his offer. I was assigned to work with Sgt. Daughtery in a unit that would constitute the handling all the deaths in the department. We had an office on the 7th floor, and whenever an officer died, natural, retired, line of duty, etc we were notified, and we would start our process. We contacted family members of deceased to see what there needs were and if necessary we contacted districts to provide pall bearers, contacted funeral homes and whatever else was necessary. It was a sad, but heartwarming job, and I enjoyed helping these families during their trying times. We also had a retiree desk in the office where a volunteered officer would come in several times a week and assist with any information that anyone might call in for about retirement. After I retired I always hoped that someone else would continue this position. Sgt Daugherty retired a couple of months after me. Not long after that Tilghman was promoted to Police Commissioner, and not too much longer after that he died. I hope that was not too long or boring. (Jim Mitchell)
Not boring at all, Jim is an amazing man, an amazing police officer and has an amazing memory. I am honored to call him a friend and thankful that he would take the time to write this.
Police Officer Jim Mitchell,
“When I joined, it wasn’t racist for the white officers not to like the black and the black not to like the white. It was just the way it was; times were different. It may be hard for someone today to understand, but today we know there is no difference between a white man and a black man other than skin color. Back then, the “N” word was a commonly used word; I used it, my bosses used it, and we wrote it in police reports. It seemed like newspapers up until the 1970s referred to black men as "Negros" and women as "Negresses." Martin Luther King referred to a black man as a Negro, so Negro wasn’t an issue, and back then the “N” wasn’t an issue, or at least it wasn’t as obvious. Then we were segregated, and as such, we didn’t know better; it could be considered propaganda, education, or a lack of an honest education. But black men didn’t like us, and we didn’t like them. I drove a milk truck before joining the police force, and I was at Whitelock St. near North Ave.; it was in the early morning, and I turned the corner. You know, there’s like a little corner there where there is this blind spot, and I was in this big milk truck when I took the corner, and I hit a guy; he popped up off the street and said, “I’m OK... I’m Ok, you can go, I’m Ok” well, I wasn’t new to things like that, and didn’t want to lose my job, so I went around to Pennsylvania Ave. down by Gold St. and flagged down a police officer, he was with another officer and I told them I turned the corner and hit a guy, I told him the guy said, he was Ok and told me I could go, but I wanted to make sure I told someone, I didn’t want to be accused of hit and run, the officer said, (and because he didn’t say, “N – word”, and I want you to fully understand, I will say it the way he did.. he said, “Was it a nigger?”, and I didn’t know any better at the time, so I said, “Yes!” And he said, “Don’t worry about it; you can just go back to doing what you were doing!” So I went back to my route, and when I went past that corner, I saw the guy standing there with another officer. He pointed to me and said, I was the one that hit him, and I just left! The Officer flagged me down and asked what happened. I told him what happened and that it was dark; he was dressed in all black (well, they could see that; he was still wearing the same clothes, and he was dark skinned!) I told the officer what happened and that I didn’t just leave; I went over to Pennsylvania Ave. and Gold and told some officers around there what had happened. The guy wasn’t hurt; he was walking around fine. The officers assumed he was just trying to roll me or the company I worked for, and that at first, when he claimed he was ok and sent me on my way, someone must have told him he could get money for being hit, so he stopped the first officer he could find. Back then, the police didn’t like to be used in that way, and times were different. Today, I know it was wrong for them to have called him an “N” word and not to have corrected them, but my knowing that didn’t come until years later after joining the police. Driving the milk truck wasn’t a way to make a living; it didn’t pay well, and I was robbed several times. I figured if I was going to be in those tough neighborhoods, I might as well have a gun. So me and an old army buddy went down to the police department and joined; we went down to headquarters and applied for the job; shortly after that, they hired both of us. We both went through the academy; I was assigned to the Northeastern; I forgot where he went; we talked every so often, but for the most part, we lost contact, except one time: I met him down Lexington Market, and he had heard I wasn’t married anymore; he told me I should go talk to Doris, and I said she’s married; he said, no, her and her husband weren’t working out, so they are separated; well, I contacted her. Doris and I dated before I went off to the Army, and she had moved on. I met a nurse, and we were married. My marriage didn’t work out, and since Doris’ Marriage didn’t work out, I went and looked her up, and we have been together ever since. 43 years, 4 kids, 8 stepchildren, 21 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great grandchildren later, and we are where we are today. But back to his leaving the academy: while still at the armory after graduation, he was called aside by a Sergeant and told he wouldn’t be going to the Northeastern and that he and a few of the others would be detailed to the Northwestern District. "Well, I didn’t mind; back then, the Northeastern was called the country club, and I didn’t want that; I wanted the action, so I was glad to go to the Northwest; I liked it. After a few months, I went to my sergeant. (Back then, we didn’t have majors; we had Captains, and under the Captain was the Lieutenant.) It was a chain of command, and you didn’t break that chain. So anyway, I liked Northwestern, I had made friends, and I liked the posts where I worked. I was young and full of piss and vinegar and liked the action, so I went to my Sergeant and asked if I could stay and if I could make the detail permanent. The Sergeant said, “Are you sure?” and I told him I was positive and that I wanted to stay. So the sergeant said, We could find out, and he went in and talked to the Administrative Lieutenant. In those days, we had four Lieutenants in the district: One for each shift (the Shift Lieutenants) and an Administrative Lieutenant that oversaw everything doing administrative work in the district (he took care of transfers). The Administrative Lieutenant called me into his office and asked me if it was true that I wanted to stay. I told him it was! He then asked, “Why would you want to stay here?” I explained that I worked the area before joining the force, I liked the guys I was working with, and I enjoyed the action and wanted to stay. He said he wouldn’t ask twice and that he would take care of the paperwork. That was the last I heard of it; a few months later, it was official that I was transferred to Northwestern.
It was before desegregation
It was before desegregation, and while we had black officers, they didn’t drive cars, they couldn’t work certain areas, they hated us, and we hated them... I remember when they desegregated; it was 1966, and we were not happy. I mean, we all had regular partners, guys we worked with, guys we knew and trusted; our partners were guys we knew had our backs, and we didn’t know the black officers; we didn’t know if they would fight when we needed someone to fight, and back then there were a lot of fights. So my Sergeant pulled me aside and told me, “If this nigger goes to sleep, I want you to call me; I want you to tell me so I can come out and catch him, and then I can fire his black ass, and we can put an end to this bull shit!” So I said, “Yes, sir!” and I tried. I was ready to turn him in; I didn’t know him, and all I knew was what I had heard. About halfway through the shift (We were working at midnight), around 3 a.m., it would have been time to hit the hole. (Back then, when we were going to go to sleep, we called it “Hitting the hole”!) but I didn’t know the guy, so I just kept driving around, and finally he said to me, “Do you boys hit the hole?” I said, “Hit the hole? I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean!” (Of course I did, but I couldn’t have him know that!). So he said, “Yeah, the hole, you know, go to sleep!” So I said, “No, but if that’s what you want to do, just tell me where to go.” So he directed me as to where to go, and we wound up under a bridge, but he wouldn’t go to sleep. I was hoping he would, so I could turn him in and get my regular partner back. But we just sat there, staring up at the bottom of an old bridge. Finally, I had to go to one of the bars to help them close the place. While I was in there, I looked out the door and he was sleeping, so I called it in, and the Sergeant came right out, but when he drove by, my new partner was wide awake, and the Sergeant just kept driving right on by. To this day, I often wonder if he faked sleeping to see what I would do, but it doesn’t matter because by the end of the second week, we had started talking, and I learned about his wife and kids. He had a wife and two kids, and I had a wife and kids. He told me his wife worked at a makeup counter downtown, and my wife worked at a Jewelry counter. Other than skin color and where we lived and grew up, we were the same. Then we got into a fight, arresting some black guy, and I didn’t know if he would help, but he was right in there, and he was as good and as hard a fighter as any partner I had ever had. By the end of the first month, we had become real partners, and there was no way in the world I would have turned him in for sleeping. I was actually sorry they integrated us at first, but by the end of the second week, I was becoming more interested in working together, and again, I have to point out that this wasn’t the 1990s or 2000; this was 1966; I came on in the mid-50s; times were different; the internet wasn’t around; television wasn’t even what it is today. We were not educated to know anything but what we were told or what we read in the papers, and it wasn’t just us; the black officers hated us white officers too. They hated us to a point, and I didn’t find this out until years later, but that night when that officer asked me if we were going to go in the hole, and my Sergeant told me to turn him in for sleeping, his sergeant told him the same. So basically, the white officer’s sergeants and the black officer’s sergeants hated each other, but they thought alike; they both came up with the same plan to have their officers turn in their partners so he could have him fired, and then we could return to the way it was. You have to understand that, just in case it isn’t clear, the white officers might not have wanted to work with the black officers, but the black officers didn’t want to work with the white officers either. What the black officers wanted was to be able to work any post, drive patrol cars, wear uniforms, advance in the ranks, etc. The department itself was not fully integrated until 1966. Prior to 1966, black officers were limited to foot patrol; they were barred from the use of squad cars. These officers were quarantined in rank, barred from patrolling in certain white neighborhoods, and would often only be given specialty assignments in positions in the narcotics division or as undercover plainclothes officers. They didn’t want to work with white officers, but they did want to be treated equally. They hated us; they didn’t trust us, but we were all the same. That’s why I say it wasn’t racist, unless they were racist too, and I don’t think that was the case. I think racism is having the information available and ignoring the facts to believe what you want. Or not wanting to ever become friends, even after you know we are the same. Once we worked together, we liked each other. I have a picture of my partner hanging on the wall in my living room. I went to his funeral, his kids graduations, and weddings. We would have been friends earlier, but we didn’t know, and that wasn’t either of our faults; society and the department kept us apart; it was in the rules, and when those were the rules, they didn’t come near us, and we didn’t go near them; they hated us, and we hated them; we both were misinformed about the other. I know I said it before, but as much as I hated the idea of integration at first, I worked about 10 or 11 years before integration and nearly 20 years after; those 20 years were much better than the first 10 or 11. I made a lot of friends, both black and white, and I know we would have missed out on a lot had we stayed segregated.
By the way, Kenny, I only used the “N” word in this to help tell the story. I used the “N” word before desegregation, as most people did, and as we grew, we learned the word had left our vocabulary. The thing is, once we learn and once we knew better, we either grew or we don't, and where we grew, things get better. There were people who chose to keep hating each other, and things continued down the wrong road. But for most of us, things changed. I hope this helps tell the story. I didn’t want to sugarcoat anything. That is a big problem today; no one wants to tell it like it is. All anyone has to do is read a newspaper from the 1940s to maybe about the mid- to late-70s.
Interesting. I spoke to a young lady who thinks this story was referring to her dad. She saw the story on this site and said her dad told her the same story for years as a kid, but from the African American Officer's point of view. He has since died, so I won't use his name, but I will say this: according to her, the African American officers of the time (from what her dad told her) were proud of being part of the police that broke the color barrier. They were the Jackie Robinsons of the Baltimore Police Department. They put up with a lot of ugly times to make things what they are today. When I came on in 1987, I had several African American partners; race wasn’t an issue; we did our jobs, we fought together, laughed together, and were friends. I can only imagine how it was for everyone involved and am glad to have come on when I did. We have come a long way.
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Jim and Frank Myers
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First from the left is Mickey Finn, Fourth is Jules Sass all from the NWD
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POLICE INFORMATION
Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.
NOTICE
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.
Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
How to Dispose of Old Police Items
Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department. Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at Kenny@BaltimoreCityPoliceHistory.com follow us on Twitter @BaltoPoliceHist or like us on Facebook or mail pics to 8138 Dundalk Ave. Baltimore Md. 21222.
