Photo: Corbis

1962: NYC Police Allowed
to Live Outside the City

In 1937, New York City enacted the Lyons Residency Law, which required that all city employees reside within the city’s five boroughs. During the 1950s, however, the bill was called into question as the city faced difficulty hiring qualified personnel, largely because of the residency requirement. In 1962, the Board of Estimate voted unanimously to repeal the Lyons Law, following Mayor Robert F. Wagner’s declaration that the law was "inequitable." That same year, the New York State Legislature passed the Public Officers Law, ruling that state municipalities could not impose residency restrictions on police officers, firefighters, and sanitation workers. Today, these public servants continue to be able to live in city suburbs, although several bills to reinstate the residency requirement have been unsuccessfully introduced in the State Assembly in recent years. City policemen are shown here marching in a 1964 parade.

–Cynthia Blair