Russell W. Gates

Syracuse Police (Images of America) Russell W. Gates

The roots of the Syracuse Police Department date back to 1825.

Following the opening of the Erie Canal and the boom of the

thriving salt industry, Syracuse became a bustling metropolis and a

jumping-off point for pioneers, entrepreneurs, and adventurers. The

first constable, H. W. Durnford, soon faced the problem of roustabouts,

gamblers, and robbers preying upon the canal and warehouse workers

along lower James Street. While the community experimented

with village and night watches, special constables, and patrolmen,

no permanent solution was found. On January 1, 1846, the final

die was cast when Syracusans clashed with salt boilers from the

adjoining village of Salina in the bloody Coffeehouse Riot. Because

of insufficient police services, the militia had to put down the riot.

To improve services, both villages voted to consolidate, and in 1848,

the City of Syracuse and its police department were created. Syracuse

Police illustrates the evolution of urban policing and gives insight into

the department's core values and the police officers who have held

them sacred.