Patrol Wagon 1880's

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Patrol Wagon 1880s Patrol Wagon 1880s Presorted USA 13 13 Presorted First-Class First-Class C POLICE PATROL POLICE PATROL ANAHEI ОСТ POLICE PATRO 29 1988 92803 CA

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PATROL WAGON 1880'S First Day of Issue: October 29, 1988 First Issue Location: Anaheim, California Through the early 1800's in America, most police forces were hard pressed to provide even the appearance of protecting the public. Fortunately, reforms took hold in the shape of merit systems to replace the rampant political patronage then in vogue, recruitment of honest men of high caliber to serve as commissioners, and the evolution of better equipment. Police officers, the front line of the force, had up to this point been grossly ill-equipped. At last, the tools necessary to do their job became available to these men. One such tool was the police patrol wagon. First devised and introduced in the late 1800s by William J. McGarigle, then General Superintendent of the Chi- cago Police Department, the horse-drawn vehicle hon- ored by the stamp on this Maximum Card served the police well, lowering costs and raising the level of service offered to the public. It efficiently and economically transported officers to and from their regular beats, as well as to public disturbances and other incidents requiring police action. No. 88-74 ОУ ©1988 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Basil Smith