Police Training: Learning from O.W. Wilson in Wichita (1928-1939)

• In Event: Policing Strategies and Perspectives, Yesterday and Today

Abstract

Training for both neophyte and veteran police is essential to a successful police organization. Through the analysis of primary and secondary source data, this paper reports the results of a historical case study of the training strategies employed by prominent 20th century police reformer, Orlando Winfield “O. W.” Wilson, during his tenure as chief of police in Wichita, Kansas from 1928-1939. In the years leading up to Wilson's appointment in Wichita, the police department had been engulfed in two major scandals resulting in federal indictments of several members of the department, including two police chiefs. Wilson, a disciple of August Vollmer, was hired away from California to reform the police department. Training was one of the many elements of his reforms. In Wichita, he established the first ever police training program for the department, and later, the Kansas police school, which drew both international and national attention.

Author

• Michael L. Birzer, Wichita State University