For those fascinated with Tallahassee's past, there's a new book out that traces the long history of the city's police department.
Mary Cathrin May taught history at both Rickards and Florida high schools. She's also written several books about local history. Her new book follows the Tallahassee Police Department from 1826 to 1973. May says the idea to write it actually came from an old friend, Althemese Barnes; the founder of the Riley House Museum who is also a devoted historian.
"One day in 2019, I'm working on another project that I'm all excited about, from 1910 to 1930 history. I wanted to do World War I, was what it boiled down to. Althemese called me. You see, I worked with Althemese for the past 25 years with the Emancipation (project.) She called and said, 'Mary, can you find a picture of the police station in 1960?' I didn't even know where the police station was in 2019!"
May's interest went well beyond simply tracking down that old photo. She knew the history of the Leon County Sheriff's Department had already been written about in several books. But no such book existed for TPD. May was determined to remedy that oversight. Like any good historian, she needed original source documents. So she headed to Tallahassee City Hall. There, she ran into Paula Cook, who was the clerk in charge of the records. She took May up to the fourth floor and opened the door to a room.
"It was a big room filled with stuff people had thrown in there: old computers, old chairs. She looked around and said, 'Oh, yeah. The records! These are the city records from 1860 through 1900 over there. On the floor. Against the wall.'"
But, seasoned researcher that she is, May patiently and methodically plowed through all those boxes of somewhat disorganized and disjointed documents. She wanted every sentence in her account to be supported by evidence.
"Some chapters have 82 footnotes because I don't like to say something if I can't find a source for it."
May also knew who to enlist to help with the project. One of these helpers was Matt Lutz, the City of Tallahassee's records management director. But he's better known as "the historian of city government." The other human resource was Phil Kiracofe. He spent 26 years with the Tallahassee Police Department and was familiar with the deepest recesses of police culture.
"You see, Matt was my fellow researcher, especially for the territorial period. I could handle that. But I couldn't speak law enforcement-ese. That was the beauty of Phil coming in. He'd straighten me out. He wasn't hesitant to make corrections."
In addition to its obvious focus, May says her book also provides a more comprehensive look at the growth of Tallahassee from a small town into a modern city.
"It traces families. It traces the police, obviously. And technology. From sitting on a house, riding around patrolling. And I want them to realize that this is what happened during those 200 years."
"Keeping Law and Order in Tallahassee: 1826-1973." Mary May's latest contribution to the Capital City's historical accounts.
