Five Patrolmen Take the Oath

Five new patrolmen took their oaths before Mayor Thomas F. Landy in his office on the evening of February 28, 1950. A News-Dispatch photograph showed Landy administering the oath to Charles Marchinick while the other new officers stood nearby. Their appointments were effective the following day.

The five men were Marchinick, Robert Wolfe, Harold Smith Jr., William Hall, and William Hudson. The newspaper reported that they had been selected after four veteran policemen were pensioned, including Chief William L. Miller. The ceremony brought new patrolmen into a force whose veteran members and leadership were changing.

Myron F. Reese began his duties as police chief on March 1 and had the task of preparing the new patrolmen. His outlined training course would introduce them to the work of courts, city offices, and the hospital. Their patrol duties were announced for that night, following the oaths and the start of training.

Landy urged courteous and efficient service. He described a friendly policeman as an asset to the community and instructed the officers to be firm when performing their duties if peaceful measures failed. The mayor's charge placed everyday treatment of residents alongside the formal authority conferred by the oath.