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New York City, one of the world's premier urban centers, is also home to the world's most famous and storied municipal law enforcement service: the NYPD.

Policing in New York is as old as the city itself, although much has changed since the first Dutch rattle watch patrolled streets in the 1620s. Technological improvements, advancing professional standards, and historical moments like the 1898 consolidation of New York City and the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, have each profoundly changed the way New York City police officers do their jobs. Still, as New York City Police emphasizes, certain elements of ""the job"" remain true through the decades and centuries. Being a police officer in New York City has always involved a certain amount of danger, sacrifice, and public coordination.

A fascinating history of law and power, Pennsylvania's Coal and Iron Police documents the law enforcement group which ruled these communities from 1865 to 1931.

Pennsylvania's Coal and Iron Police ruled small patch towns and industrial cities for their coal and iron company bosses from 1865 to 1931. Armed with a gun and badge and backed by state legislation, the members of the private police force were granted power in a practically unspecified jurisdiction. Set in Pennsylvania's anthracite and bituminous regions, including Luzerne, Schuylkill, Westmoreland, Beaver, Somerset, and Indiana Counties, at a time when labor disputes were deadly, the officers are the story behind American labor history's high-profile events and attention-grabbing headlines. Paid to protect company property, their duties varied but unfortunately often resulted in strikebreaking, intimidation, and violence.

The kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr. and the subsequent arrest, trial, and execution of Bruno Richard Hauptmann have intrigued true crime buffs for decades.

New Jersey's Lindbergh Kidnapping and Trial tells the story of ""the case that never dies"" through vintage photographs. Rare photographs, many not seen since the 1930s, will allow the reader to experience the massive police investigation led by New Jersey State Police superintendent H. Norman Schwarzkopf and the circus-like trial and execution of Bruno Richard Hauptmann.

A popular backdrop for numerous movies, Sing Sing, or "the Big House," has been a site of both controversy and reform. The history of Sing Sing dates back to 1825, when warden Elam Lynds brought one hundred inmates to begin construction of the prison "up the river" on the banks of the Hudson. The marble quarry that supplied the building material for the prison was located in an area that was once home to the Sint Sink, a Native American tribe whose name means "stone upon stone." Prison life was dominated by hard labor during the early years. Convicts in striped suits and shackles built the prison with their own hands. With the arrival of warden Lewis Lawes in 1920, Sing Sing became the most progressive prison of its kind. During this time, the New York Yankees traveled up to Sing Sing to play the prison's home baseball team; the prison grounds were landscaped with shrubbery and flower gardens; and the compound grew to include a chapel, mess hall, barbershop, library, and gymnasium. The electric chair was first introduced at Sing Sing in 1891. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the first civilians to be found guilty of espionage, were put to death there in 1953. Sing Sing Prison contains rare photographs from the prison archives, the Ossining Historical Society, and a private collection.

Discover the activities and work carried on inside the Elmira Reformatory and the evolution of the criminal reform model through the lens of vintage images.

The Elmira Reformatory, established in 1876 in Elmira, New York, was a testament to the most interesting, most scientific, and most hopeful treatment of the convicted criminal that has ever been tried in the United States. It conformed to what were considered sound theories, and the results were good beyond all expectations. Its inception was due to the genius and experience of Zebulon R. Brockway, who had practical training in prison management and was profoundly acquainted with the nature of the lawbreaking class of the 19th century. Elmira Reformatory contains images of the work done at Elmira in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is a compelling view of the activities carried on inside the reformatory and the evolution of the criminal reform model.

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.

The Nassau County Police Department was created in 1925 out of an urgent need for a professional law enforcement agency to provide swift, reliable, and trusted protection for its citizens

During those unprecedented times, Greater New York was rapidly encroaching on Nassau County's western border, and the escalating crime rate in this bucolic island setting was due in large part to the Volstead Act, which ushered in the mob-infused Roaring Twenties, with its related violent and turbulent unrest. After the rebellious 1920s and the Great Depression followed a long dark period of global hostilities and impending threats of homeland invasions from foreign enemies in World War II. The founding members of this department, equipped with little other than their dedication, bravery, fortitude, and self sacrifices, established a strong foundation for one of the finest police departments in the country today.

New York State Police Troop K recounts the story of the celebrated troop that served the people of New York from 1917 to 1950. With superb photographs, the book highlights events in the historic Hudson Valley area. Troop K, in its role as a cavalry unit, had direct connections to Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders and served special duty at West Point, during World War II, and after the death of Pres. Franklin Roosevelt. Originally the troop patrolled the state's southeastern corner from Albany out to the east end of Long Island. Today Troop K has 400 members and a territory covering Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester Counties.

The New Castle County Police Department has provided over a century of service to a county that continues to grow. In February 1913, two men were duly appointed and became the driving force of the New Castle County Rural Police. By the early 1930s, this small team evolved into an efficient police force. Today, the department has grown to be one of the top law enforcement agencies in the country and is comprised of approximately 350 law enforcement officers. Members of the New Castle County Police Department have displayed tremendous courage and sacrifice in the line of duty. The dedicated men and women of the force continue to provide a positive and invaluable service to the diverse communities of New Castle County.

Images of America: Delaware State Police illustrates the storied past of the Delaware State Police from 1920 to 1985.

April 28, 1923, marks the birth of the Delaware State Police. Discussions occurred as early as 1906 for a statewide police organization to cope with speeding automobiles, roving bands of troublemakers, and the ever-present bootleggers. Prohibition and the 18th Amendment brought the discussion to the forefront. With the hiring of Charles J. McGarigle and Joseph A. McVey, the Delaware Highway Police Department came to fruition on January 1, 1920. Using many never-before-published photographs from the Delaware State Police Museum archive,

The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office was formed on March 5, 1794. At that time, its jurisdiction covered what had previously been known as the Military Tract, a 1.75 million-acre stretch of land made available as bounty to soldiers of the Continental army during the Revolutionary War. Since then, the episodes that sketched the history of Onondaga County and Central New York have painted an exciting historical portrait of the sheriff's office and the role it has played in the development of its communities. Intriguing theaters of the office's history include promoting peace with the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, maintaining jails, conducting early legal hangings, suppressing insurrections, policing the storied Erie Canal, and keeping pace of the ever-changing trends in crime, technology, and strategy.

Auburn Police traces the history of the Auburn Police Department, which dates back to the mid1800s. It portrays many of the faces of those people who have devoted 20, 30, or more years of service to their community. Although a number of aspects of law enforcement have changed over the years, the very principle of the police officer interacting with the public remains the same.