Minutes from the First Meeting of the National Association of Police Training Officials

Introduction

Perhaps as early as 1932, former Berkeley police officer and then San Jose State College Professor William A. Wiltberger began to bring together a group of individuals on a sporadic basis to informally discuss contemporary law enforcement issues.  It appears that the bulk of those involved in these discussions had either taken classes from August Vollmer at the University of California, Berkeley and/or had been police officers in Berkeley when Vollmer served as Chief.  The group called themselves the “V-men,” recognizing Vollmer as their intellectual leader.  It is unclear, however, as to what direct role Vollmer had with respect to these early discussion groups.  In 1939, Professor Wiltberger formally organized the group as the National Association of College Police School Administrators with himself as the President and his former student, Willard E. Schmidt, as Vice President and Secretary.  In December of 1941, anticipating his eminent departure into the military, Wiltberger looked for someone else to take charge of the discussion group and the organization in general.  August Vollmer agreed to step in.

On December 30, 1941, August Vollmer invited seven men to his home in Berkeley.  William Wiltberger and Willard Schmidt were both present.  The meeting began at 10:15 am, and did not conclude until after midnight.  At this meeting, Wiltberger’s organization was re-named the National Association of College Police Training Officials.  August Vollmer (then 65 years old) was named President-Emeritus and Orlando W. Wilson (one of Vollmer’s former students) was named President.  Willard Schmidt was named First Vice President, and William Wiltberger was named Third Vice President.  William Wiltberger was called to active military duty shortly after this meeting was held.  He survived the war, but there is no evidence of any activity on his part within the National Association of College Police Training Officials after this December 30-31, 1941 meeting.  This is likely due to the fact that the new organization, reflecting Vollmer’s perspective, took on more of an academic orientation, contrary to Wilberger’s vision.  August Vollmer remained active in the organization at least until 1949 when he served as the Annual Meeting Program Chair (at age 73).  Orlando W. Wilson served as President until 1950.  Schmidt remained active in the organization at least up until 1952 when he again served as Vice President and as the Annual Meeting Program Chair.

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

REPORT OF THE FIRST MEETING

 

of the

 

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE POLICE TRAINING OFFICIALS

 

for the purpose of

 

FURTHERING COLLEGE POLICE TRAINING

 

and

 

STANDARDIZING POLICE TRAINING CURRICULA

 

 

 

 

Conducted under the direction of

 

AUGUST VOLLMER

 

Berkeley, California

 

December 30, 1941

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PERSONNELS OF THE CONFERENCE

 

 

DIRECTOR OF THE CONFERENCE

 

 

AUGUST VOLLMER

 

Formerly, Chief of Police, Berkeley, California

Retired, Professor of Police Administration,

University of California Criminologist

 

 

 

CONFERENCE LEADERS

 

Drexel, Robert L. – Chief Investigator, District Attorney’s

Office, San Jose, California

 

Leonard, V. Anderson – Professor and Head, Department of Police Science

and Administration, Washington State College

 

Pavone, Benjamin W. – Chairman, Peace Officers Training Division,

San Francisco Junior College

 

Schmidt, Willard E. – Director of Police Training, Sacramento Junior College

 

Wilson, Orlando W. – Professor of Police Administration and Director of the

Bureau of Criminology, University of California

 

Wiltberger, William A. – Director, Police School, San Jose State College

 

Yee, Frank – Formerly, Director of National Police Academy, China

 

 

 

 

Morning Session

 

The first meeting was called to order at 10:15 A.M. December 30, 1941 at August Vollmer’s home in Berkeley, California. Several names were suggested for the organization. The title National Association of College Police Training Officials was adopted.

           

It was suggested that the NACPTO be a separate division within a larger organization to be organized at a later date and to be name - - Academy of Police Science. This, however, was set aside for discussion at a later meeting.

 

Elections were conducted in order to provide for officers of the Association. The following were elected:

 

            August Vollmer, President Emeritus

            O.W. Wilson, President

            B.W. Pavone, Secretary – Treasurer

            Willard E. Schmidt, First Vice-President

            V.A. Leonard, Second Vice-President

            William A. Wiltberger, Third Vice-President

            Frank Yee, International Vice-President

 

V.A. Leonard was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Constitution and By-laws and was to prepare the constitutional by-laws for the consideration of the Association in the near future.

 

The purposes of the Association were suggested as follows:

            1. To associate officials engaged in professional police training at the college

level;

            2. To standardize the various police training curricula;

3. To standardize, in so far as possible, the subject matter of similar courses in the various schools;

            4. To keep abreast of recent developments, and to foster research;

            5. To disseminate information’

            6. To elevate standards of police service; and

7. To stimulate the formation of police training curricula in colleges throughout the nation.

 

It was motioned and ordered that membership be restricted to all persons actively engaged as officials of college police training curricula.

 

William A. Wiltberger suggested a three-fold classification of the various curricula, and after a lengthy discussion, the following classification was ordered:

 

         Degree                Degrees

            1. Junior College Curriculum                 A.A.     and/or     A.S.

            2. State College Curriculum                  B.S.                     M.S.           

            3. University Curriculum                        A.B.                    M.A.

                                                            and/or  B.S.                     M.S.

 

President Wilson appointed committees for the two preparation of the various curricula as follows:

 

1. State College Curriculum – William A. Wiltberger, Chairman; V. A. Leonard

 

2. Junior College Curriculum – Willard E. Schmidt, Chair; Benjamin W. Pavone

 

3. University Curriculum – O.W. Wilson, Chairman

 

           

 

The meeting recessed for lunch.

 

 

 

Afternoon Session

 

The meeting was called to order and discussion was started on the results of a questionnaire mailed out to members previous to the meeting. The questionnaire consisted of a breakdown of the subject matter of Police Training courses into 25 classifications. Each member was to indicate his allocation of an arbitrary 400 hours of instruction among the various sub-topics. This allocation of hours was to prepare the way for future course preparation and discussion. The results of this discussion are indicated on the next page.

 

 

The meeting recessed for dinner.

 

 

 

Evening Session

 

The meeting was called to order and the subject breakdown and allocation of hours was discussed further.

 

Conclusion: That until a more positive subject breakdown and classification was completed, it would be difficult to determine the proper allocation of hours. President Wilson reminded the group that the breakdown was not final and merely was to serve as a yardstick for further discussion. The results were significant and useful as a comparative measure of different interpretations.

           

The next topic of discussion was the matter of course content. It was suggested by August Vollmer that the outline of standard texts be used.

 

 

Results:

Topic:

            I. Communications – “Police Communication Systems”, V.A. Leonard

 

            II. Police Records – “Police Records Manual”, O.W. Wilson

 

            III. Personal Identification – “Personal Identification”, Wentworth and Wilder

 

            IV. Criminal Investigation and Scientific Crime Detection –

                        “Modern Criminal Investigation”, Sodermann and O’Connell

 

            V. Vice

Liquor – “Toward Liquor Control”, Raymond B. Fosdick

                        Narcotics – “Manual on Narcotics”, Farrell

                                            “Drug Addicts are Human Beings”, Henry S. Williams

                         Prostitution – “Prostitution in Europe”, Abraham Flexner

                         Gambling – No text available

 

            VI. Patrol – “The Patrol System”, Yusai Takahashi

                               “Duty Manual”, New York Police Department

                                               

            VII. Traffic Control

Engineering – “Traffic Engineering”, Maxwell Halsey

                                             “Traffic Engineers handbook”, Hammond and Sorenson

                        Education – “Safety Education”, National Safety Council

                        Enforcement – “Accident Investigation Manual”, LACP

 

            VIII. Juvenile Crime Control – “Preventing Crime”, Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck

 

            IX. Criminal Law -- “Manual for Police Officers”, Puttkammer

                                            “Treatise on Criminal Law and Procedure”, Wigmore

                                            “Model Law of Arrest”, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

“Criminal Law Manual”, A.M. Kidd

 

            X. Criminal Investigation – “Crime Is a Business”, MacDonald

                                                     “Criminal Investigation”, Sodermann and O’Connell

                                                     “Criminal Investigation”, Gross

                                                     “Criminal Investigation”, Fricke       

 

            XI. Photography – “Photography in Law Enforcement”, Eastman

                       

            XII. Self Defense – “La Savate”

                                          “Wrestling Fundmentals”, H. A. Stone

                                          “Judo”, Kuwashima and Welch

 

            XIII. Introduction

                        a) Purpose of Police

                                    “Police Administration”, Fuld

                                    “American Police Systems”, Fosdick

                        b) Problems

                                    “Police and Modern Society”, Vollmer

                                    “Uniform Crime Reports”, FBI

“Judicial Criminal Statistics”, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census

“Prisons and Reformatories”, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census

“Annual Reports”, Berkeley Police Dep’t.

“Annual Reports”, New York Police Dep’t

“Annual Reports”, Honolulu, Los Angeles, etc.

“Yearbook of Michigan State Police”, Oscar G. Olander, Commissioner East Lansing, Michigan

“Syndicated Crime”, Herbert Wilson

“Autobiography of Lincoln Stephans”

“Politics and Criminal Prosecution”, Raymond Moley

“Policemen and the Public”, Woods Wickersham Reports

“Our Criminal Reports”, Raymond Moley

“Designs in Scarlet”, Courtney Riley Cooper

                        c) History

                                    “History of English Police”, Lee

                                    “American Police Systems”, Fosdick

                                    “European Police Systems”, Fosdick

                        d) Miscellaneous

                                    “Crime Control by the National Government”, Millspaugh

                                    “Rural Crime Control”, Bruce Smith

                                    “Scotland Yard”, Moiland

                                    “Municipal Police Administration in Texas”, Cooper

 

            XIV. Organization – “Papers on the Science of Administration”, Luther Gulick

        “Municipal Police Administration”, Institute for Training in Municipal Administration

        “Annual Reports of Police Departments”, Police Re-organization Plans, Pasadena, San Antonio

 

            XV. Planning – “Military Intelligence”, Sweeney                       

                                      “Basic Infantry Manual”, R.O.T.C.

“Municipal Police Training”, Chapter in ITMA (Institute for Training in Municipal Administration)         

 

            XVI. Police Administration – Chapter in ITMA

                                    “Chicago Police Problems”, Citizens Committee

                                    “Police Administration in Boston”, Leonard V. Harrison

                                    “History of Secret Service”, Rowan

“Springfield Police Survey”, Bruce Smith, Institute for Public Administration

“Municipal Administration”, Pfiffner

“Baltimore Police Survey”, Bruce Smith

Institute for Public Administration, N.Y. Chapter on Meeting Intermittent Needs, in O.W. Wilson’s Records Manual

 

            XVII. Equipment – Chapter in ITMA

                                            Annual Reports, Police Departments

 

XVIII. Personnel – “Personnel Administration”, Leonard White Chapter on Personnel, ITMA

                                          “Personnel Administration”, ITMA

           

            XIX. Public Relations – “Articles on Public Relations”, Woolpert, Published by International City Managers Ass’n, 1313 East 60th Street, Chicago

 

            XX. Leadership and Supervision – “Psychology of Leadership”, Donald Laird

                                                                 “Organization and Management of a Business Enterprise”, Fernstrom, K. D. and Associates, Harper, 1935

 

           

Motion was made by William A. Wiltberger that each member of the Association should notify the secretary of new books, contacts, mimeographed material, etc. that would be of interest to the group. (The secretary will be pleased to furnish additional information concerning the publisher, etc. of the above references).

 

 

            JOURNALS

            “Police Journal” – London

            “Police Journal” – New York

“Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology” – Northwestern University Press

“Pacific Coast International Association of Law Enforcement Officers” – Secretary Walker

“San Francisco Police Journal”

“Yearbook of the International Association of Chiefs of Police”

“Peace Officers Association of California” – Secretary, James T. Drew

 

 

Chief Vollmer suggested that O. W. Wilson and William A. Wiltberger prepare an outline on “Patrol” for the use of the Association.

 

Chief Vollmer called attention to the following two publications as excellent references:

 

“Cincinnati Police Beat Survey” – Published by American Public Welfare Association, 850 East 58th St., Dep’t of Public Safety, Cincinnati

“Definition of Police Beats” – WPA Technical Series, Public Administration Circular No. 2, August 28, 1937, WPA, Division of Women’s and

       Professional Projects, Washington D.C.

 

 

V.A. Leonard requested that the next meeting be held at Pullman, Washington. The request was prompted by a very cordial welcome extended to the Association, by letter, by the President of Washington State College. Vollmer moved that the next meeting be held at Pullman, Washington in acceptance to the invitation. The motion was seconded and unanimously carried. The date was to be determined in the near future.

           

 

The meeting adjourned at 1:00 A.M., December 31, 1941.

 

 

B.W. Pavone

Secretary - Treasurer