Join Dr. Chris Stacey for an exploration into the militarization and modernization of the Chicago Police Department in the 1880s. In the 1880s under the leadership of Mayor Carter Harrison the Chicago Police Department modernized with the 1880 Police Alarm and Telegraph System. The department was still unpopular with much of the city’s population due to “incidents” such as the 1882 display of cop killer Bill Allen’s body in a police precinct station window and the 1884 Martha Seidle rape case. 1886 was the transformative moment for the Chicago Police Department. The police force participation in the Haymarket Bombing and its aggressive response in the weeks following created a public outpouring of admiration for the CPD and shifted the course of policing for the late ninetieth and early twentieth century.

Date: Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Time: 6:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time

Cost: Free