14 Photos of Police Officers Over the Years

Before body cameras and viral footage, it was far more difficult to capture the day-to-day activities of police officers, whether they were responding to a local skirmish or playing with kids on the street. These vintage photos offer a candid look at law enforcement through the decades, from heartwarming interactions to tense standoffs.

1. Patrolling the Halloween Parade (1980s)

2. NYPD Cop Locked and Loaded in His Patrol Car

3. A Woman Tussling With an Officer During the Summer Unrest in Milwaukee (1967)

4. A Police Officer Getting a Led Zeppelin Album Signed by Robert Plant (1982)

5. Chicago Female Police Officers at the Shooting Range (1974)

6. Kids About To Start a Snowball Fight With a Chicago Police Officer (1959)

7. Police Officer Stopping Traffic To Let a Cat and Her Kitten Cross the Road (1925)

8. A Police Officer on a Motorcycle Transporting a Prisoner in a Mobile Holding Cell (1921)

9. Cops Riding the NYC Subway (1970s)

10. Police Officer Arresting a Drunk Man in a Skeleton Costume (1950)

11. Officer on the Police Payroll Squad (1932)

12. A Police Officer Playing Duck, Duck, Goose With Kids in Harlem (1978)

13. Chicago Police Officer With His Family (1987)

14. Samuel J. Battle, the First Black Police Officer in New York (1911)

Curious about other jobs and work life from decades past?

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