Deadliest Night for St. Policia Louis

L'incident més mortífer a St. Història Policia Louis no era un tiroteig, natural disaster, or act of terrorism. L'incident més mortífer a St. Història Policia Louis va ocórrer en la nit de dilluns, Setembre 3, 1900. L'electricitat va ser l'agressor com a línia elèctrica amb 3300 volts d'electricitat van caure sobre les línies telefòniques, at Eight Street and Carr Avenue. The telephone lines connected all the policemen’s call boxes in the Downtown area.

Seventy police officers 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 police officers lay dead, and electricity seriously burned thirteen other officers. The current also injured officers by throwing the officers from the call boxes or the headquarters call center.

Before the implementation of the two-way radio, police officer 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 police officers 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 too many officers 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.

The thirteen injured officers suffered burns to their hands, or the current knocked them unconscious. The current threw a handful of officers from the call box leading to joint injuries. 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.

Patrol Officer John F. Killoren inserted his key into the call box at Fifteenth Street and Franklin Avenue and the electric current through Killoren into the street. Killoren es va aixecar i va tractar d'obrir la caixa de trucada de nou abans de transeünts poguessin detenir. The current knocked Killoren back into the street again with serious burns to his hands.

A més dels agents de lesionats, who citizens transported to the hospital, 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. The electrical current shocked Looney as he tried to open the call box at Twelfth Street and Morgan Avenue. Citizens carried Looney to the dispensary, but he never regained consciousness. Looney died 15 minutes after the first shock.

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 was supposed to bury their wires, 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 after repairing them.

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 months later, Desembre 13, 1901. It was one of the rare occasions that three St. Louis officers would lose their lives in the same incident. The department shootouts get more coverage but the deadliest night in St. Història Policia Louis era setembre 3, 1900, when electricity attacked an unsuspecting force doing their duty.

Sources: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Setembre 4, 1900, p. 1

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