Indianapolis Police Department Automobile Fleet, 1916

Abstract

A group of uniformed Indianapolis Police, accompanied by their vehicles, are in front of the City Court building in 1916. Located at the corner of South Alabama and Pearl Streets the building contained Police Headquarters, the City Court and Clerk offices. The building was located on the east side of Alabama Street. The Marion County Jail was across the street. The Indianapolis Police Department was founded in September 1854. The use of motorized police vehicles came about in 1904. This 1916 view shows eight automobiles and three paddy wagons and their drivers. The image also shows the buildings to the north and south of the court building. To the north was the Alabama Flats with a storefront occupied by the William S. Frye Transfer Company. To the south was the Lake Erie and Western Rail Road and a view down Alabama Street to the railroad overpass still in use today. A similar view of the same group can be seen in PAN0268.The original nitrate negative was copied with funds provided by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission in 1990. This digital image was created from that copy. The copy prints and negatives are stored in Microfiche Number order. Interpositives are stored in PAN number order