Tag Archives: August Vollmer
Berkeley Police Department’s past continues to influence the officers of today
On Wednesday, Berkeleyside published the first part of a two-part interview with Berkeley’s new Police Chief, Michael Meehan. Today we give you Part II.
Deep in the bowels of the Berkeley Police Department is an L-shaped hallway that is a shrine to the department’s past.
There is an old lie detector encased in a wooden box, a scale to weigh inmates, and an autographed picture of President John F. Kennedy, probably signed when he came to UC … Continue reading »
Remembering August Vollmer, the Berkeley police chief who created modern policing
As Berkeley gets ready to swear in Michael K. Meehan on Thursday as the city’s new police chief, perhaps it is appropriate to take a look back at the city’s very first chief. After all, he is credited with modernizing American policing.
Not many people know about August Vollmer, but when he was alive he was one of the most famous men in the country. While serving as Berkeley’s chief of police from 1909-1931, (he was marshal from … Continue reading »
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