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Bill Leahy began his law
enforcement career as a civilian employee with
the Saint Louis Municipal Police Department.
He worked as a district clerk for six years and
in 1956 entered the police academy. He worked
both administrative and street assignments
until 1963 when he took a job as an insurance
investigator who specialized in Arson and Legal
Liability. Bill Leahy is the author of
Curbstone Justice.
Bill Leahy said of
Curbstone Justice, “I have been
collecting and writing these stories for a long
time. All at once, you realize that you no
longer have the luxury of waiting. As a friend
of mine said, "better to do it now before you
forget everything." So with that thought in
mind, I began gathering all those hastily
scribbled notes. So here I am, writing and
reliving those memorable years as a St. Louis
cop. The book is by no means a documentary. The
intent is neither to glorify the bad guys nor
to downplay the efforts of the ordinary cop.
The job was tough then and from we see on the
tube, it is even more dangerous today.”
The Riverfront Times said
of Curbstone Justice, “The 1950s
were a very, very different time for the St.
Louis Metropolitan Police Department -- a
wild-and-woolly era when some blueshirts
preferred to mete out justice to no-good low-lifes
on the sidewalk -- not the courtroom. To get a
taste of this freewheeling world, you might
leaf through "Curbstone Justice," written by
ex-officer Bill Leahy, who's also a big
presence on St. Louis Coptalk, where officers
new and old like to bullshit and complain about
things.”
About the Saint
Louis Municipal Police Department
The Saint Louis Municipal Police
Department is a full service law enforcement
organization led by a chief of police. The
department is organized into four bureaus each
commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel of Police:
Criminal Investigations and Support; Community
Policing; Professional Standards; and,
Auxiliary Services. The Departments says, “The
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has
seen many changes since its inception 200 years
ago. What started as a four man militia in 1808
has grown to a force of more than 1200 officers
today.”
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