World War II had officially been over since September, 1945.
There were still millions of servicemen and women still overseas and in the
states however so the pool of Dallas Police applicants was not significant and
it was hard even finding prospective recruits to even sit for a civil service
test apparently.
On October 4, 1946 the Dallas Morning News wrote that there
were currently 90 vacancies on the department but only 68 applicants showed up
that Thursday night to take the test. If averages held true according to E.M.
Powell, civil service board secretary, it would mean that only 22 or 23 of the
test takers would pass both the civil service examination and the stiff
physical examination. He also said that it would be necessary to call another
test in three or four weeks.
City Manager V.R. Smitham said that the City of Dallas would
continue its strict requirements rather than lower standards to attract
prospective candidates. He went on to say that “We would rather have 12 good men
than 3 times as many mediocre candidates.”
I remember that there were times while in Tactical (now
SWAT) in the 80’s and 90’s that we were sent to an area to “saturate” a
geographical part of the city because of a burglar, hijacker or whatever was operating
in an attempt to catch him or her or to at least push that bad guy to leave the
location, and hopefully go to the suburbs… not really but you get my drift.
Some of the best
times were Sunday’s when a burglar would be pin pointing an apartment complex say…in
The Village. Fighting crime while driving around and around those apartments (burglars
were known to frequent the pool areas) with my squad-mates on those Sunday afternoons
are among some of my best memories. I doubt if it’s still that way, times have
changed and Dallas will arguably never see the freewheeling post disco New Wave
80’s and the edgy 90’s again. We did catch some burglars however!
On October 12, 1946
there had been numerous complaints about Dallas police cars patrolling the Southern
Methodist University campus. What?? DPD squad cars at SMU? Couldn’t happen.
The reason behind the “ I have nothing better to do than complain
about DPD cars driving around my neighborhood” according to University Park
Mayor H. E. Yarbrough is that U.P.’s squad cars had the new black and white
color scheme like DPD squad cars had as their paint schemes as well for years.
He pointed out that the difference was that U.P. cars had a gold shield on the
side (of course) and their cars didn’t have “Police” in large letters on the
rear of the squad cars. The new black
and white paint scheme will be put on all U.P.P.D. cars except detectives and
the chief’s car.
Mayor Yarbrough said that the change from all black to black
and white was made because U.P. commissioners felt that laws would be better obeyed
if people knew that police were around. “The all-black cars looked just like
any other private car,” he said.
Whew! It’s a good thing that we weren’t worried about the
threat of the Russians having the A-Bomb yet and Dallas being vaporized…but
just wait a year or so!
In other more important news Dallas liquor store operators
will pool their strength in an attempt to find a suspect in a recent rash of liquor
store robbery-shootings where two clerks had been killed.
Julius Shepps, a well known and respected liquor wholesaler
called for a meeting at the Mercantile Bank building of area liquor store
owners and suggested an award for the arrest and capture of the suspect. Some
store owners had already hired security officers to combat the killing and
robbing spree. Other owners are closing earlier than usual as another solution.
The robbery suspect was described as being “nervous”
according to one clerk who survived being shot. Stores had been robbed at such
locations as Latimer St. , North Pearl near Cochran St. and Cedar Springs at
Alamo.
DPD Chief of Detectives Will Fritz said that the DPD is redoubling
its efforts in the search for the killer after Joe Enna was shot at 1715 Latimer
and was in serious condition at St. Paul hospital.
One liquor store owner suggested closing as early as 7 P.M.
Lastly we find that on October 24th the DMN
reported that three juveniles ages 15, 16 and (17?) were participants in a scam
where they passed themselves off as working for the “Blank” detective agency.”
An Oak Cliff women whose 16 year old daughter was missing
called police when one of the trio came to her home and said that his agency
would search for her daughter for a fee of $25.00. The women became suspicious
and called Crime Prevention Inspector J. W. Welch. The woman was told to invite
the P.I. in training to her home which she did. The “juvenile” was described as
a 17 year old (not sure if 17 was considered an adult in 1946) who came to the
front door with a lengthy “contract” for the woman to sign. “I represent the “Blank”
detective agency,” he said, naming a fictitious company.
Officers Ed Hicks and J. C. Peterson were waiting down the
street when the juvenile arrived. Hicks removed his coat and tie and went to
the house and then becoming a distraught relative.
The 17 year old talked to Hicks and outlined the “services”
that his company would provide to the family in an attempt to find the woman’s
missing child. Hicks then told him that he was as a Dallas Police officer. The
17 year old was arrested.
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