There are a lot of advantages to being a police officer, at least in my opinon. But at one time some of the officers of the Vancouver Police Force got to ride one of the coolest rides ever made - a Harley Davidson motorcyle.
Today I ventured out into the pouring rain even though my view of this city's landmarks was clouded by the mist. I walked in the downpour to get my readers something to peruse. I put on restrictive runner shoes, a heavy rain coat, a hat and braved the elements. Just for my loyal readers. See how obstructed the Top of Vancouver Revolving tower is?
Wasn't that dramatic? This photo was actually taken last week I think but it was as cloudy today.
I walked down to the Vancouver Police Museum. As I mentioned in a blog post on August 9 of this year, the museum is located in the old coronor's court on Cordova Street.
When a person walks through those doors they are greeted by a sign with information of the building.
Then we get to see what the switchboard would have looked like years ago. Many years ago.
This would have been in use during the 1950s approximately. Here is a closer view of how the dispatcher knew where each car was.
And here is the officer keeping track of the crimes happening around the city.
This display was encased in glass and unfortunately I got a reflection when I tried to take a photo. But if you look closely you can see the map of Stanley Park on the wall.
Posters reflecting the history and accomplishments of the VPD line the walls as you walk up the stairs to the first landing. More stairs take you to the floor with the museum. Turn right at the stained glass window.
Once you have turned right go into the gift shop and pay an admission fee then you can really see the history.
On June 17, 1912 the Vancovuer Police Force made history by becoming the first police force in Canada to hire women.
Until 1943 the duties of a female officer were mainly inside duties. Matrons in the jail, escorting female prisoners, patrolling dance halls and cabarets - things suited for the weaker sex. Fortunately 1943 saw many changes and today a female officer has the same duties as her male counterpart.
A visitor also gets to see a uniforms and such from years past.
Some visitors may even recall these call boxes, or ones similiar. These sealed boxes were located around the city. Officers had a key to unlock it and inside there was switch that the officer could flip to inform headquarters that the patrol was proceeding as normal. There was also a telephone inside so that, if need be, the officer could report any problems. The boxes were all painted blue and marked with special numbers to indicate the district where the box was located. A light illuminated the box so that they could be quickly accessed and utilized when the outside light wasn`t great.
As I was leaving the museum I saw a very impressive wall.
This is only a fraction of the faces you will see on this wall and leading down the stairs. It has every Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police force featured there.
This was a great experience and one I am glad I went on. I would love to go back and take more photos of things I missed as well as perhaps get a couple of items from the gift shop. For the seven dollars it cost me it was well worth it.
I hope you find the beauty around you.
TAGS:
Vancouver,
Karen Magill,
Vancouver Police Force,
Vancouver Police Museum,
Cordova Street,
Call Boxes,
Chief Constable,
history,
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