By Mike Simmons
Below is a recently found photo of five Pensacola Police Officers proudly posing in downtown Pensacola in 1920. The department had recently transitioned to their new uniforms. The coats were shorter and lighter than before, and they switched from the old custodian helmets (London Bobby Hats) to the more modern peaked hats, which were cooler to wear. Some of the officers in the photo carry a lantern while others held truncheons (clubs). Most officers carried a revolver under their uniform coats, although they weren’t supposed to have them, officially. Some of the officers had the double rows of brass buttons while others had a single row. Finally, some wore bow ties while others wore traditional ties with a Windsor knot. At that time, most officers (these included) walked a beat. The officers are l-r: William H. Connor, John Humphreys, Thomas Robertson, Charles Eilertsen, and Osier Chestnut.
The next photo shows four Pensacola Police Officers proudly posing in front of the Pensacola Police Station at 711 N. Hayne Street around the year 2000. They are dressed in their light blue Class A uniforms just prior to the department transitioning to dark blue uniforms. They are wearing the traditional eight-point police hat that memorialized the eight men of the New York City Rattle Patrol, which predated the NYPD. The officers are, l-r: Leon Martin, Clay Pyle, Bill Horn, and Joe Spirakis.
As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Mike