Photo:Corbis

1913: New York City
Police Force Totals 10,847

The history of New York City’s police dates back to 1658, when Dutch settlers created the eight-member Burgher Guard to watch for Indian raids. In 1783, after the Revolutionary War, a force comprised of constables and night watchmen was created. Within three years, one captain and 28 patrolmen maintained order among the city’s 25,000 residents. Mayor William Havermeyer established the nation’s first professional police department in 1845. In 1898, the Greater New York Charter combined all local police forces within the newly-defined city limits, creating the New York Police Department (NYPD). In 1900, the NYPD had 7,500 members to police the city’s population of 3.5 million. By 1913, the NYPD had grown to 10,847 members, which averaged one police officer for every 463 residents. Today, the NYPD has approximately 38,000 members. A group of New York City policemen is shown here in a photo from the early 1900s.

–Cynthia Blair