1784 -First officer in United States history, U.S. Marshal Robert Forsyth, is killed in the line of duty.
1823 -Stephen F. Austin (regarded as the father of Texas) obtains permission from the Mexican government to employ ten men to protect the new Texas frontier. This marks the beginning of the Texas Rangers.
1858 -Boston and Chicago are the first police departments to issue uniforms to their officers.
1878-1881 -"Billy the Kid" kills six law enforcement officers in New Mexico.
1902 -Fingerprinting is first used in the United States.
1916 -The first female member of law enforcement is killed.
1924 -J. Edgar Hoover is appointed director of the FBI.
1932 -Bonnie and Clyde and their gang murder 10 law enforcement people, more than any other individual criminal — or pair.
1932 -After the Lindbergh kidnapping case, the Federal Kidnapping Act is passed, giving the FBI (then the Bureau of Investigation) the right to investigate kidnappings that involve crossing state borders.
1933 -Gangster "Machine Gun" Kelly reportedly coins the name "G-Men" for FBI agents (G-men stands for government men).
1935 -The New York Police Department's Commissioner orders policewomen to adopt a uniform and to learn how to shoot.
1935 -The Department of Investigations becomes the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
1937 -Two-way communication between patrol cars and precincts is introduced in New York City.
1950 -The FBI initiates the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives Program as a way to capture elusive criminals.
1951 -Dragnet airs on December 16 on NBC with Jack Webb as its star, the TV version of the 1949 radio show of the same name.
1965 -The case Miranda vs. Arizona makes its way to the Supreme Court. The justices rule that the accused have the right to remain silent and that prosecutors may not use statements made by defendants while in police custody unless police have advised defendants of their rights, now known as Miranda Rights. (In the case, Miranda's lawyers argued that his signed confession should have been thrown out because Miranda did not know he had the right not to incriminate himself).
1965 -The TV show, The FBI, begins to air on ABC starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. Each show had to be cleared by the FBI and FBI's J. Edgar Hoover.
1966 -President Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act.
1969 -The 911 system and computer-aided dispatch are instituted, which allow for a quicker response to emergency calls.
1972 -The FBI opens a new training facility at Quantico, Virginia.
1973 -The film Serpico is released, starring Al Pacino as the real life New York under-cover policeman who exposed undercover corruption on the force.
1975 -Kevlar body armor begins field testing in 15 urban police departments.
1985 -The year is christened the "Year of the Spy" after a number of high profile espionage cases.
1988 -50% of the killings in New York City are drug related.
1988 -The Fox network premiers America's Most Wanted, a show that profiles wanted fugitives.
1992 -Police protest the song Cop Killer by Rap music star Ice T.
1993 -A bomb explodes under the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six persons and injuring over 1,000 others; the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco raids the compound of David Koresh in Waco, Texas; Louis Freeh is sworn in as the new director of the FBI.
1999 -Osama bin Laden is added to the FBI's list of most wanted fugitives.
2001 -The FBI and the Joint Terrorist Task Force investigate the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
Sources: "Ernest Miranda, Miranda vs. Arizona" available online at http://www.thecapras.org; "A Historical Look at the Texas Rangers." Available online at http://destinynet.com/texasrangers/history.htm; "Remember When?" available at http://www.cleat.org; "Important Dates in Police History." Available at http://www.nleomf.com; and FBI timeline from http://www.fbi.gov. Data retrieved November 5, 2002.
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