This Is Your Police Department

This is an amazing piece of Detroit police propaganda from 1951 titled “This is Your Police Department.” The intro talks about ”the men of the Detroit Police Department.” The Detroit police are described as providing “the protection of the lives and property of the people of Detroit.” Meanwhile, the narration is host to a backdrop of introductory music that sounds like something out of a Charlton Heston epic. Some really fun snippets ensue throughout this piece, including at 3:00 mark, where commando practice is introduced, and at the 6:40 mark that shows how Joe made his first arrest, and afterwards it is said that “somehow his uniform seemed to fit better.”

I like the part where it is said that Joe sometimes did unpleasant things that were a part of his job, like “giving someone a parking ticket.” Oh, and count how many times the word “hero” is used. Still, this is representative of a police mentality that is far different from what has emerged today, and for that I offer you the following.