William Stephen Devery
William S. Devery (1855 &ndash June, 1919) was the last superintendent of the New York City police commission and the first police chief in 1898.
As a police captain he once told his men, "They tell me there's a lot of grafting going on in this precinct. They tell me that you fellows are the fiercest ever on graft. Now that's going to stop! If there's any grafting to be done, I'll do it. Leave it to me." [1]
Lincoln Steffens, a popular journalist of that time wrote of Devery, "As a Chief of Police, he is a disgrace, but as a character, he is a work of art." [1] The superintendent of the police commission title was changed to chief of police in 1898.
Later with Frank Farrell, he bought the Baltimore, Maryland baseball team and moved them to New York City. The Highlanders would later became the New York Yankees. [2]
References
- ^ a b "The Birth of the NYPD". Retrieved 2007-06-14.
- ^ "Online Tour". New York City Police Museum. Retrieved 2007-06-14.