Theodore Roosevelt
Thomas Byrnes
(The rouge gallery)
Map showing the mass amounts of crimes in just one precinct in New York
- 1895 (Before becoming president) accepted the job in New York city as Police Commissioner
- Strongly believed the need to clean up the large cities
- Took down over 30 corrupted Police Officers in the NYPD
- Enforced prohibition of alcohol strictly (Even on the Sabbath)
- Caused the New York Police to straighten out, and take the crime in the city seriously.
- Immigrated to New York City.
- Worked his way to becoming New York PD's chief and lead detective.
- Started taking pictures of all known criminals
- Became our modern day "Mug Shot"
- Caused the identification of criminals to be easier
- Used exaggerated interrogation techniques. Now illegal. Effective.
- Busted ovber 3,000 criminals in 15 years.
This is an article from the "New York Times" in 1920 about a large alcohol bust worth over $7,000
Who these changes effected:
- With increase of sanitation and quality of the slums, thanks to George Warring and his "White Ducks", those living there were less encouraged to steal to be comfortable
- The rich were satisfied with the improvement and felt their support made a change
- The police force grew stronger and publicly favored
This graph shows the amount of murders through the years
Can see: Spike around 1920-1930, then a sudden drop off
How these changes effect us today
Who was for/against the movement?
- Thomas Byrne's: Rouge gallery became our modern day "Mug shot"
- The New York slums, although still low quality and infested with crime, is not nearly as disgusting
- Police is larger cities have become far more effective in catching criminals
Conclusion
- Naturally, the criminals didn't like the fact that their chances of being caught increased from the improved Police force
- Many of the wealthy supported the change because they were sympathetic for the less fortunate
- The Poor supported the reform because it improved their security and living conditions greatly
- The City officials and Politicians supported busting crime to improve the image of their city
Crime on the Rise
What crimes were going on?
- Large increase of theft
- Homicide
- Organized crime
- Large bank robberies
- Gang fights
- Illegal trade of alcohol while prohibited
Who were effected? Who wants a solution?
- Crime among the horrid slums in the large urban cities sky rocket
- Urban population increases 80x
- 80% of theft and homicide committed against the crowded poor.
- The more crowded the city, the more crime committed
- Main crimes being Theft and Homicide
Crime was a growing issue in New York and other large urban cities across the newly populated America. One of the many reforms during the Progressive era.
- Guns could be rented by the hour
- Less "Crime Busting" technology
- The poor didn't like their current life style (Or being stolen from/Killed)
- The police weren't keeping up with the arrest and criminal ratio
- Some of the rich pitied the horrid living conditions of the slums, felt it was their social responsibility to aid the less fortunate
- Many Americans wanted a change for a safer, and more sanitary environment
Progressive Era:
Urban Crime