An American 'Truncheon'

[Mervyn Mitton]

I am feeling guilty that most recent posts have been on the British police - so,attached is an early truncheon , staff or, night stick from the States (not sure what they're called now ?). When I bought this some 35 years ago it had a label saying it was carried by the Boston Police and dated to the 1880's. I know the the Eastern freeboard cities copied a lot of British equipment in the middle and last part of the 19th.C - They wore a helmet - often grey in colour - frock coats - and these heavy truncheons.

There was a tradition of officer's showing their skill, by knotting the rope around the handle - using this they would then 'throw' the truncheon head first at the pavement and then catch the rebound with the rope (which they were still holding). The one shown here would not have been for everyday use, but reserved for ceremonial parades. I hope this will encourage some response about equipment in the US - past and present.

Mervyn

[Ulsterman]

Well, they call them billy clubs over here-or nightsticks.

I have seen the throwing on the pavement trick before at the St. Pats' Parade in Southie @ 1990. The archetypal eastern city cop @ 100 years ago was a irish.

[Mervyn Mitton]

Do you have any photos of these parades - would be interesting to see them 'bounced'.

Mervyn

[leigh kitchen]

Joseph Wambaugh's "The Blue Knight" has a reference to nightstick bouncing, I think it's to do wth the instruction to remove the cords or strap & the main character's failure to do so.

[Mervyn Mitton]

Leigh - I for one, know very little about American police customs and their history - it would be good if some of our U.S. police members could give us info. Somewhere in the flat in Bournemouth is a wonderful record book for a precinct in New York - I think from the 1870's. It is what I think in the US is called the 'blotter' (?) - our equivalent of the daily info.book. I will get it sent over to SA so some pages can be shown.

Mervyn

[Guest Rick Research]

:unsure: In this day and age of camera phones, better not to have pix of billyclub bouncing.

The Police Blotter is still published every week in small towns like mine:

"2:23 P.M. caller reports giant turtle in road..."

right down to names and addresses of the arrested pour encourager les autres. (REMARKABLY efficacious. TOTALLY efficacious.)

My lot have been police over here since Night Watch in the 1630s and haven't got a THING from any of them.

but stories of course.

Sometime in recent years, nightsticks grew a 90? handle off the main shaft--like a letter F with the top crossbar removed. Don't see the older ones anywhere any more.

[leigh kitchen]

Leigh - I for one, know very little about American police customs and their history - it would be good if some of our U.S. police members could give us info. Somewhere in the flat in Bournemouth is a wonderful record book for a precinct in New York - I think from the 1870's. It is what I think in the US is called the 'blotter' (?) - our equivalent of the daily info.book. I will get it sent over to SA so some pages can be shown.

Mervyn

That sounds great, an original?

[leigh kitchen]

In this day and age of camera phones, better not to have pix of billyclub bouncing. ..............................

Sometime in recent years, nightsticks grew a 90? handle off the main shaft--like a letter F with the top crossbar removed. Don't see the older ones anywhere any more.

Surely that depends on what (or who) you're bouncing the stick off?

The Monadnok PR 24 or similar you're thinking of, takes too much "technique" I feel. Monadnock produce straight extending batons nowadays, of the "ASP" & "Auto Lock" sort that have been in vogue for some years - heavy handle section tapering to rubber "power safety tip" to concentrate your expended energy but at the same time ensuring that you minimise the risk of scratching the person you're belting with it.

Personally I always favour the idea of a straight stick with heavier weight at the end you hit things with - like a pick helve. Handier to lean on too.