Homicide in Chicago 1870-1930 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 06/29/2012 - 15:15
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Photo, Police Captain Max Nootbaar, Jul. 21, 1914, Chicago Daily News
Annotation

Post-Civil-War industrialization and urbanization put new stresses on American law and society. Criminal records reveal the circumstances where social strain boiled over into violence and unrest. Using this website, visitors can search the complete Chicago Police Department Homicide Record Index from 1870 to 1930, detailing more than 11,000 homicides, and read and watch accompanying contextual material that explores tensions between laborers, industry leaders, political ideologies, social reformers, organized crime, and more.

The core of the site is the "Interactive Database." Here, visitors can search cases using keyword, case number, date, circumstances (accident, manslaughter, homicide, number of victims, number of defendants, method of killing, involvement of alcohol), details about the victim and defendant (age, gender, race, occupation), victim/defendant relationship, and legal outcome. Searches return one-line case summaries including the date, names of people involved, case number, a description of the crime, and legal outcome. Clicking on a result brings up details on the particular crime: time, location, type of death/homicide and details of homicide, details on the victim(s) and defendant(s), police involvement, and legal outcome.

Contextualizing primary and secondary sources frame this bare-bones information. A timeline features a summary of one major event and up to five photographs for every year. "Historical Context" currently offers a second timeline highlighting links to up to 17 notable cases for each year and a section on children's lives in the city, with nine newspaper articles on child labor and obituaries for activist Florence Kelley and lawyer Levy Mayer. (Sections on labor and reform movements and people and events did not work at the time of this review.) In "Legal Content," visitors can read short essays on topics related to Chicago criminal and social history, including capital punishment, anti-corruption campaigns, the Chicago Police Department, judges, lawyers, criminology, prostitution, gambling, murder-suicides, and accidents. Each essay links to related cases and onsite and off-site documents. "Legal Content" also hosts 16 downloadable acts and statutes under "The Laws."

"Crimes of the Century" organizes links to related cases under 23 topics, including the 1919 Chicago race riot and the Haymarket Affair. "Publications," the most valuable part of the site for teachers looking for primary sources, archives the full text of 15 primary and secondary documents related to Chicago crime and social change. Here users can download in PDF form modern studies on the death penalty, crime and policing in Chicago, and the Haymarket Affair, or download primary sources such as law codes and crime reports, the Hull House Maps and Papers, Chicago Daily News articles exposing graft and corruption, 19th-century studies of Chicago's homeless, and contemporary commentary on the Haymarket Affair. Finally, visitors can watch 18 interviews with present-day professors, judges, and lawyers in "Videos."

Though difficult to navigate, this site has rich resources to help students and teachers explore the challenges of change at the turn of the century.

Burbank Police and Fire Museum [CA] Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:33
Description

The Burbank Police and Fire Museum preserves and showcases the past of the Burbank Police and Fire Departments. The museum includes exhibits on all aspects of police and firefighting work.

The museum offers a variety of exhibits, ranging from uniforms to a vintage fire engine, viewable by appointment only; tours for school groups can be arranged. The website offers a brief history of the museum, along with descriptions of all displays and artifacts currently on display in the museum.

New Jersey State Police Museum & Learning Center Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:39
Description

"A visit to the New Jersey State Police Museum & Learning Center provides the opportunity to learn the distinguished history of the nation's most diversified state law enforcement agency. Students learn the history of the State of New Jersey through the historic development of the State Police. Beginning with the State Grange era, through periods of population growth and economic changes, the New Jersey State Police have kept in step, meeting the changing needs of the citizens of the state."

California Law Enforcement Historical Society Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:38
Description

The California Law Enforcement Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of law enforcement officers in California. To this end, the society operates a mobile history museum. The museum addresses the years between 1850, when California officially became a state, to present day. Collection highlights include historic patches and badges.

The society offers exhibits.

McFarland State Historic Park [AZ] Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:38
Description

McFarland State Historic Park contains an 1878 courthouse, which displays the transition between Sonoran and Anglo-American architecture. Between 1891 and 1938, the structure was used as a county hospital. The site also served as a jail in the late 1800s. The site interprets Arizona Territory history and law enforcement.

The park offers exhibits, period rooms, guided walking tours of the Florence historic district, archival access, courtroom talks for students, guided building tours for students, and picnic areas.

The park is currently closed while exhibits are being changed.

Los Angeles Police Historical Society and Museum [CA] Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:38
Description

The Los Angeles Police Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of the Los Angeles Police Department. To this end, the society operates a museum, which displays historic police vehicles, uniforms, and weaponry, among other artifacts.

The society offers exhibits and research assistance. Research assistance requires payment of an hourly fee.

Research assistance is currently limited, as a result of staffing cut-backs.

New York City Police Museum [NY]

Description

The New York City Police Museum presents the cultural history, traditions, and policies of the New York City Police Department—the single largest police force in the world. Artifacts date back to early Dutch settlement. The site includes information relevant to September 11, 2001, as well as a memorial hall honoring officers who fell in the line of duty. Exhibit topics include police dress, transportation, communication equipment, portraits, weaponry, 9/11, and jails.

The site offers exhibits, films, and a child safety program designed for parents and guardians. Reservations are required for school groups.

Marble Valley Historical Society and Museums [GA] Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:36
Description

The Marble Valley Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Pickens County, Georgia. To this end, the society operates two historical structures, the Old Pickens County Jail and the Kirby-Quinton Mountain Heritage Cabin. The jail, used between 1906 and 1982, now holds exhibits on county history and law enforcement. The cabin was built in 1975 using logs from an older structure. The interior is styled in antique furnishings and decorative arts.

The society offers exhibits, period rooms, and tours. Tours of the jail and cabin are available by appointment.

Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park [AZ] Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:36
Description

The Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park is located in the Tombstone, the seat of Cochise County. Built in 1882, the structure was designed in the Victorian style and once house the offices of the sheriff, recorder, treasurer, and board of supervisors, as well as the jail and courtrooms of Cochise County. Today, the structure serves as a museum of law enforcement in the wild west.

The courthouse offers guided tours and exhibits on law in the wild west and local history. The website offers visitor information, a calendar of events, and a history of the structure and of Tombstone.

Texas Highway Patrol Museum Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:34
Description

The Texas Highway Patrol Museum chronicles the lives of Department of Public Safety officers past and present, while honoring the 74 troopers who have been slain while in the service of the people of Texas. Collections include vintage uniforms, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow photographs, and officer memorabilia.

The museum offers exhibits and programs on drunk driving and personal safety.