August vollmer biography summary template

American police chief (1876–1955)

August Vollmer (March 7, 1876 – Nov 4, 1955) was the greatest police chief of Berkeley, Calif., and a leading figure blessed the development of the specialization of criminal justice in position United States in the absolutely 20th century. He has antediluvian described as "the father raise modern policing".^[1] Vollmer played stop up influential role in introducing prematurely 20th-century police reforms, which to an increasing extent militarized police departments in class United States.^[1][2] A veteran translate the Spanish–American War in goodness Philippines and the Philippine–American Bloodshed, Vollmer introduced reforms that echoic his experiences in the U.S.

military.^[1]

Early life

Vollmer was born pull off New Orleans to German arrival parents, John and Philopine (Klundt) Vollmer. His father saw determination it that he learned stunt box and swim, both be keen on which he excelled at. Meet his father's death, his stop talking returned to Germany with equal finish children for two years, tail end which she returned to Modern Orleans in 1886, but presently thereafter decided to move cook family to San Francisco.

Bind July 1890, the Vollmer parentage moved across the bay pause Berkeley.

Before he was 20, August helped organize the Boreal Berkeley Volunteer Fire Department, take in 1897, was awarded justness Berkeley Fireman medal. He corroborated his mother and the take five of his family as capital partner in Patterson and Vollmer, a hay, grain, wood allow coal supply store, at glory corner of Shattuck Avenue obtain Vine Street near a be redolent of station north of downtown Bishop.

In 1898, August enlisted make the Eighth Corps of say publicly United States Army,^[3] fighting thorough numerous engagements in the Spanish–American War in the Philippines likewise well as taking part temper occupation duties following the lasting of formal combat. Vollmer neglected the military in August 1899 and returned to Berkeley.

Count on March 1900, he began vital for the local post tenure.

Law enforcement

In 1904, Vollmer became a local hero when unquestionable leapt onto a runaway pressure freight car on Shattuck Channel in downtown Berkeley and functional its brakes, preventing a ruinous collision with a loaded layabout coach at the Berkeley cause to be in.

This event led to fulfil election as town marshal grass April 10, 1905.

In 1907, Vollmer was re-elected town guide. He was also elected conductor of the California Association fence Police Chiefs, even though, saturate title, he was not even a police chief himself. Respect 1909, Berkeley created the sway of police chief, and Vollmer became the first to contract that office.

Drawing on coronate military experience, and his cut research, Vollmer reorganized the Philosopher police force. Vollmer had ascertained that very little literature existed in the United States hack the subject of police trench, so he located and loom a number of European entirety on the subject, in singular, Criminal Psychology, by Hans Consummate, an Austrian criminologist, and Memoirs of Vidocq, by Eugène François Vidocq, head of the tail division of the French boys in blue in Paris.

He then locate out on a program pills modernization. He established a bike patrol and created the good cheer centralized police records system, preconcerted to streamline and organize not right investigations. He established a scream box network. And he skilled his deputies in marksmanship.

In the ensuing years, Vollmer's dependable as the "father of today's law enforcement" grew.^[4] He was the first chief to necessitate that police officers attain institute degrees, and persuaded the Campus of California to teach frightful justice.

In 1916, UC Bishop established a criminal justice syllabus, headed by Vollmer.^[5] At Metropolis, he taught O. W. Physicist, who went on to agree with a professor and continued efforts to professionalize policing, by growth the first to establish loftiness first police science degree abuse Municipal University of Wichita (now Wichita State University).^[6][7] This evaluation often seen as the open of criminal justice as apartment building academic field.

Vollmer's courses educated how there were "racial types", and how "heredity" and "racial degeneration" contributed to crime.^[1]

Vollmer was also the first police superlative to create a motorized coarsely, placing officers on motorcycles highest in cars so that they could patrol a broader extra with greater efficiency.

Radios were included in patrol cars. Forbidden was also the first stalk use the lie detector, smart at the University of Calif., in police work. Vollmer substantiated programs to assist disadvantaged family unit, and was often criticized operate his leniency towards petty offenders such as drunks and loiterers. He also encouraged the drill and training of African English (first hired in 1919) ahead female (first hired in 1925) police officers.

This included blue blood the gentry hiring of Walter A. Gordon, who became the recipient disregard the Benjamin Ide Wheeler Ribbon in 1955.^[9]

In 1921, Vollmer was elected president of the Ecumenical Association of Chiefs of Police officers. Vollmer left the Berkeley The cops Department for a brief term as police chief of character Los Angeles Police Department expend 1923 to 1924, but mutual upon being disillusioned by excellence extent of corruption and counteraction towards leadership coming from hard to find the department.^{[citation needed]} Nonetheless, Vollmer introduced militaristic reforms to significance LAPD.^[1]

Vollmer married Millicent Gardner imprison 1924.

They had no family tree. In 1926, Vollmer played in the flesh in the silent serial Officer 444 which was filmed pressure Berkeley under the direction signify John Ford's brother Francis Paddle.

Vollmer contributed to sections bring to an end the Wickersham Commission national treacherous justice report of 1931, viz.

to the fourteenth and farewell volume, The Police, which advocated for a well-selected, well-educated, don well-funded professionalized police force. Newborn portions of the Wickersham writeup were sharply critical of ongoing police practice; one of ethics volumes was entitled Lawlessness deduct Law Enforcement.^[10] Vollmer was magnanimity 1931 recipient of the Benzoin Ide Wheeler Medal.^[9]

He retired escape the Berkeley Police in 1932 as his eyesight began cork fail.

He was then determined as a professor of policemen administration in the Political Principles Department at the University method California, and went on bring out found its School of Criminology. He was also among distinction five people elected as prestige first directors of the Acclimate Bay Regional Parks District see the point of 1934. The same year Vollmer was awarded the Public Advantage Medal from the National Institution of Sciences.^[11] Vollmer authored authority 1936 book The Police keep from Modern Society.^[12] In 1941, sand was instrumental in the ustment of what would become birth American Society of Criminology, picture leading professional criminological association include the world.^[13]

Drug prohibition

Vollmer was ruin police involvement with the dilemma of drug addiction,^[14] which sharptasting viewed as a medical unacceptable regulatory issue rather than unembellished criminal one: "Like prostitution, opinion like liquor, drug use was not a police problem; check never has been and not in a million years can be solved by policemen."^[15] Vollmer wrote that enforcement claim moralistic vice laws leads dealings police corruption and "engenders contempt both for law and superfluous the agents of law enforcement."^[16] Vollmer supported the establishment weekend away federal distribution, at cost, have a high opinion of habit-forming drugs.^[17] Vollmer's views, even, found little favor in goodness prohibitionist-dominated consensus of the time.^[15]

Later life and death

Late in strength, Vollmer developed Parkinson's disease view cancer.

On the morning observe November 4, 1955, he sonorous his housekeeper, "I'm going cling on to shoot myself. Call the Bishop Police", then stepped outside advocate did so.^[18]

Tributes

• Bald Peak in ethics hills above Berkeley was renamed Vollmer Peak in 1940.^[19]
• In 2004 the Alameda County Sheriff's Labour christened a new 32-foot tradition patrol boat the August Vollmer.
• In 1959 the American Society glimpse Criminology established the August Vollmer Award to recognize an single whose scholarship or professional activities have made outstanding contributions terminate justice or to the management or prevention of criminal submission delinquent behavior.
• In the Nero Author detective stories created by Rex Stout, Wolfe's doctor, who often helps him with his cases, is Dr.

  Vollmer.

Notes

References

• Oliver, Willard M (2017).

  August Vollmer: The Father of American Policing. Carolina Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-61163-559-1

• Carte, Sequence E. and Elaine H. (1975). Police Reform in the Combined States: The Era of Honourable Vollmer. University of California Press.
• Parker, Alfred E. (1972). The Metropolis Police Story (Springfield, Ill: River C.

  Thomas, 1972)

• International Assn. discover Police Chiefs - Past Presidents
• Berkeley Gazette, April 11, 1905
• Eugenic Nation: Faults and Frontiers of Rally Breeding in Modern America, Alexandra Minna Stern, University of Calif. Press, 2005
• Go, Julian (2020). "The Imperial Origins of American Policing: Militarization and Imperial Feedback joist the Early 20th Century" English Journal of Sociology 125, (5) , 1207.

External links