Orlando Winfield Wilson, known as O. W. Wilson, who lived from 1900 to 1972, was an American police official and author who served as Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department and earlier as chief of police in Wichita, Kansas and Fullerton, California. A student of police reformer August Vollmer, Wilson wrote influential textbooks on police administration and worked to professionalize American policing through improved training, organizational structure and the reduction of political interference and corruption within police departments.
Facts
Defining ContributionReformed police administration and professionalized U.S. policing 1 Notable Work FAQs
What reforms did O. W. Wilson introduce as Chicago police superintendent?
A non-partisan police board and merit promotions. He also raised hiring standards and redrew districts without regard to politics.
When O. W. Wilson became Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department in 1960, after a major police scandal, he demanded a non-partisan police board to help govern the force, a strict merit system for promotions, a nationwide recruiting drive for new officers and higher salaries to attract professionally qualified officers. He moved the superintendent's office from City Hall to Police Headquarters and redrew police district boundaries without regard to politics. He also created programs for internal review of police misconduct while strongly resisting civilian review. The record is not wholly favorable: arrests of black Chicagoans increased dramatically and disproportionately during his tenure.
Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: O. W. Wilson
Sources
1. O. W. Wilson - Wikipedia
Early life section
Wilson was born on May 15, 1900, in Veblen, South Dakota, and moved with his family to California.
Lead section, opening sentence
also known as O. W. Wilson
Legacy section
By the 1950s, Wilson's ideas of police professionalism, presented in Police Administration, were widely implemented in police agencies across the United States.
Lead, paragraph 2 (birth date)
Orlando Winfield Wilson (May 15, 1900, October 18, 1972), also known as O. W. Wilson, was an American police officer, later becoming a leader in policing along with authoring several books on policing.
Lead, paragraph 2 (death date)
Orlando Winfield Wilson (May 15, 1900, October 18, 1972), also known as O. W. Wilson, was an American police officer, later becoming a leader in policing along with authoring several books on policing.
Lead, paragraph 2 (nationality clause)
Orlando Winfield Wilson (May 15, 1900, October 18, 1972), also known as O. W. Wilson, was an American police officer, later becoming a leader in policing along with authoring several books on policing.
View the Source2. Wikidata: O. W. Wilson
Wikidata Q15462901, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Wikipedia: O. W. Wilson
Associated With: Chicago Police Department, Chicago section
Beginning on March 2, 1960, Wilson served the Superintendent of Police of the Chicago Police Department until his retirement in 1967.
In Group: American Police Chiefs and Police Reformers, Lead, paragraph 2 (birth date)
Orlando Winfield Wilson (May 15, 1900, October 18, 1972), also known as O. W. Wilson, was an American police officer, later becoming a leader in policing along with authoring several books on policing.
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