Ninth district police station rededicated; history honored

By Amy Rothblatt    

The 9th District police station, the second oldest in the city, recently marked its 70th anniversary with a gala rededication at its present location at 3501 S. Lowe Ave. in Bridgeport.

Also referred to as the Deering Police Station, it opened on Lowe in 1936 and carried its name over from its previous location at Archer Avenue and Deering Street, which now is Loomis Street.

The only operating Chicago police station that preceded it is the Town Hall station at Addison and Halsted Streets in Lakeview.

The ceremony honored the Chicago Police Department, acknowledged its history, and commemorated the 9th District police station and its devoted officers. Ninth District Commander Eugene Roy remarked, "We wanted to pay tribute to our officers—both past and present—as well as to honor the community.”

Hundreds of officers lined up outside the station, gleaming in full uniform and beaming with pride, including some on bicycles. Besides the many spectators from the neighborhood and elsewhere, several local civic leaders and members of the local business community attended.

Dignitaries at the ceremony were Police Superintendent Philip J. Cline; Aldermen James Balcer, Ed Burke, and George A. Cardenas; State Representative Edward J. Acevedo, and State Senator Tony Munoz. Jay Levine, WBBM-Channel 2 News anchor, emceed.

Cline spoke first, emphasizing "the purpose of this rededication ceremony is that it provides an opportunity to reflect on the Chicago Police Department's proud history...but also gives us a chance to see how policing has changed over the years, especially as a result of new technology. Today, for instance, thanks to computers, our police officers have a wealth of information at their fingertips to help them identify wanted offenders and suspects, which wasn't the case in 1936."           

A day for history

It was a day for looking back at the Chicago Police Department’s history. For example, the department adopted Cline’s title, superintendent of police, in 1861 when the State Legislature passed a law attempting to deprive the Mayor of any power to influence the police force. After charges of police corruption in the late 1860s and ‘70s, however, the legislature revised this law, providing for a top police official who would be appointed by the Mayor with approval by the City Council.

The wisdom of that revised procedure was shown in 1960, when following the "Summerdale scandals," in which on-duty police were committing crimes, Mayor Richard J. Daley appointed a committee to recommend new methods for improving the department and implementing a massive reorganization. Daley named Orlando W. ("O.W.") Wilson head of the committee. A professor in police administration and dean of the School of Criminology at the University of California, Wilson’s appointment raised controversy because he was not a police officer and not from the area.

Wilson went on to implement great improvements in departmental efficiency and organization. For instance, beat officers, who previously patrolled their areas on foot, received police radios and squad cars that allowed ready communication with the station and decreased response time at crime scenes. Wilson also consolidated 70 precincts into 21 citywide districts and gave each district its own phone number; previously the department had operated with just one citywide telephone number.

In another homage to history, Cline, Roy, Lt. Robert Kero of the 9th District, Burke, and Levine recited a list of the 23 officers who were among the first to die in the line of duty within the boundaries of the 9th District. Roy noted, "it is a very special day, although bittersweet." He added that "there is a lot of history and tradition here at the 9th District."  

Officer shot stopping burglar

Officer Tim Mahoney was the first officer killed in the line of duty while serving the 9th District. On June 12, 1881, he was shot and killed at 37th and Halsted Streets while attempting to stop a burglary attempt. Margery Vermi, Mahoney’s great-granddaughter, attended the ceremony with her husband and children, and they accepted a plaque in his honor. Roy presented another plaque inscribed with the date of the rededication, which will be hung opposite the station's original brass marker.

The ceremony also showed off three historic police cars representing the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, which were brought in especially for the event and parked in front of the station. In addition, those attending were invited inside for tours of a "mini-museum" consisting of glass cases filled with memorabilia such as badges, old photos of the station and the neighborhood, and even a life-sized mannequin wearing a 1930s police uniform.           

New station, new technology

Roy outlined plans to replace the old station with a new facility a few blocks away, at what is currently an empty lot on the southwest corner of 31st and Halsted Streets.

"We have the need to be in a more modern facility," Roy explained, noting the new site will feature the latest electronic technology to make it one of the most technically advanced stations in the city. It also will be environmentally friendly, with a "green roof" lined with plants to "absorb heat and keep the building warmer in the winter" and a rain water collection system.

Officer Al Garza of the 9th District, who performs the dual role of police officer and business liaison in the neighborhood and its surrounding area, commented, "we will still be active here until the new station is ready and fully functional. The 150 officers of the 9th District will not lose a step until the new station opens its front door."

Roy said the City hopes to break ground this spring. The Zoning Commission has approved the plan, and "It is a formality now for the City Council to approve it; it'll get done," Garza predicted.