Deadliest Night for St. Policia Louis

L'incident més mortífer a St. Història Policia Louis no era un tiroteig, desastre natural o un acte de terrorisme. L'incident més mortífer a St. Història Policia Louis va ocórrer en la nit de dilluns, Setembre 3, 1900. Electricity was the assailant as a power line with 3300 volts d'electricitat van caure sobre les línies telefòniques, at Eight Street and Carr Avenue. The telephone lines connected almost all the policemen’s call boxes in the Downtown area.

70 policeman patrolling the Downtown District were potential victims as they made their way to the call boxes for their 7:00 p.m. check-ins. By the end of the night, two policeman lay dead and thirteen others were seriously burned or suffered injuries from being thrown from the call boxes or the headquarters call center.

Before the implementation of the two-way radio, policeman called in on the call box every hour, so the station knew they were okay. The call box was also the primary way to call for a transport after arresting someone. As the policemen began to make their way to the call boxes, the electric current knocked an operator against the wall in the headquarters call center. St. Louis Police command personnel sent out messengers to warn the officers about the potential threat but many did not get the warning in time. Un liniero, que van respondre a la seu de la policia, va ser també greument commocionat, when he tried to address the problem.

La majoria dels tretze oficials, que van resultar ferits, suffered burns to their hands or were knocked unconscious by the current. Una parella va patir lesions a les articulacions de ser llançat des de les cabines telefòniques. Les cremades més comuns van ser a les mans de la inserció de claus a la caixa de trucada o girar la maneta caixa de trucada.

El patruller John F. Killoren insereix la clau a la caixa de trucada al carrer Quinze i Franklin Avenue i va volar de nou al carrer. Killoren es va aixecar i va tractar d'obrir la caixa de trucada de nou abans de transeünts poguessin detenir. He was knocked back into the street again with serious burns to his hands.

A més dels agents de lesionats, many transported to local hospitals by citizens, two officers lost their lives that night. El corrent oficial jove assassinat, Nicholas F. Beckmann, i veterà oficial, John P. Looney.

Beckmann was a twenty-six year old police officer and veteran of the Spanish-American War. Beckman fought at the battle of San Juan Hill, which made Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders famous.

Beckman utilitza el quadre de trucada al carrer Divuit entre Washington i Carr Avinguda. Com Beckmann va obrir la caixa de trucada, ell va cridar i va caure cap enrere. Els transeünts el van portar a l'Hospital protestant prop, on mai va recuperar la consciència. El departament va haver de donar-li la notícia a la seva mare vídua, que vivia amb Beckmann.

James Looney era un marit de 41 anys d'edat i pare, que havia estat en vigor des del 1893. Looney va ser sorprès tractant d'obrir la caixa de trucada al carrer Dotze i Avinguda Morgan. He was taken to the dispensary but also never regained consciousness. He died 15 minuts després del xoc inicial.

City Lighting officials determined the source of the shock to be the power line from the Seckner Contracting Company. D'acord amb funcionaris de la ciutat, the Seckner Company’s lines were supposed to be below ground but the company received a waiver from the Board of Public Improvements. The officials cut down the responsible lines and told Seckner to bury the lines.

En 2006, St. Departament de Policia de Louis va reconèixer que Michael P. Burke, qui va ser un dels tretze homes que va commocionar nit, died from the shock 15 mesos més tard de desembre 13, 1901. It was one of the rare occasions that three St. Louis officers would lose their lives in the same incident. Els tirotejos departament reben molta més cobertura però la nit més mortífer a St. Història Policia Louis era setembre 3, 1900, when electricity attacked an unsuspecting force doing their duty.

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