The history of the Oneonta Police Department
Oneonta, as an incorporated village, dates back to 1848. It was a fairly
quiet village, and it wasn't until 1875 when Oneonta's first policeman was
appointed, when George W. Behan was named night watchman and police officer
for a five-month period.
| The first full time police officer was A.C. Wolcott, appointed in 1880,
at a salary of $35 a month. Prior to this time, any police or law
enforcement came from the Otsego County Sheriff, or perhaps local
volunteer constables. Firefighting had been essentially
all-volunteer until a first fire company was formed here in 1876.
As Oneonta's population grew in the 1860s and 70s, it became a
regional center of non-agricultural commerce.
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Chief Blizzard, probably around 1918 |
People would make regular visits here to do their "trading." Some were
hardy, rustic souls who came here for a good time.
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An officer in 1908 |
They raced horses, got liquored-up and with regularity got into
brawls. Fighting was a reason Oneonta had the nickname "Klipnockie," a
Dutch designation of words to "Clip Nock him." The fighting became such a chronic problem that a jail was built in 1873
in an area behind the site of the former Bresee's Kitchen and Furniture
Store. That jail burned down in 1882 and was replaced by a stone structure.
The addition of street lights and patrolling constables probably
moderated the brawling. The community's police protection gradually increased during the
intervening years, until it was necessary to designate Wilbur F. Bradley as
police chief. He was succeeded in 1896 by Charles E. Dibble, who headed a
four man department after serving as an officer since 1892. |
(click thumbnails above for large images)
An Oneonta officer, probably early 1930s
An officer and his "Prowl Car" in front of Grant's, 1938
The first non-commissioned officers of the department were appointed
during the regime of his successor, Thomas Blizzard.
A young man receives his bike license in August 1940
When his
successor, Frank Horton, retired in 1941, the authorized strength of the
department was 14 men.
The Department in 1947
By the 1950s, the police department, in
addition to its work of crime control and prevention, got more into traffic
control and enforcement of traffic regulations.
Officer LeRoy Turner with 1957 Patrol Car
In the community, the
Oneonta Police Department was well known for their annual Policemen's Balls
from the 1940s through early '70s. These were formal occasions, held at the
Oneonta Armory, and always featured a big name band, such as Tommy Dorsey,
Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Stan Kenton, to name a few.
Motorbike Patrol
Some interesting "firsts" have taken place in the last few decades. The
first African-American officer, James Howard, joined the force in 1975.
In 1980, Debbie Stiefel, the first female police officer joined the
department. The first bike patrol began in September 1991, with
patrolmen Steve Havens and David Watson.
Construction of the Public Safety Building in 1980
During the Clinton administration, officer John Wycoff joined 96 other
police officials from around the nation on the South Lawn of the White
House, to be honored for an act of bravery. Wycoff saved two people from a
capsized canoe in the Susquehanna River in April 1993.
Officer R.J. Parisian at a motor vehicle accident - early 1980's
The Oneonta Police Department has come a long way from the days when a
police officer was considered mainly in the light of a night watchman.
Patrolman Anthony D'Agostino rides a Segway scooter.
Mark Simonson, Oneonta City Historian
Sources: The Oneonta Daily Star, Oct. 26, 1953. Various clippings from The
Daily Star from the 1970s through '90s. Excerpts from "Oneonta: The
Development of a Railroad Town," by Eugene A. Milener.
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