POLICE BOOKS - Daniel J. Shanahan

About the Baltimore Police Department

The preservation of the peace, protection of property and the arrest of offenders has been the goal of Baltimore residents since August 8, 1729, when the Legislature created Baltimore Towne.

The first attempt to organize a force to guard Baltimore occurred in 1784. Constables were appointed and given police powers to keep the peace. The State Legislature on March 16, 1853, passed a bill, "to provide for the better security for the people and property in the City of Baltimore." This statute provided that police officers should be armed and that a badge and commission be furnished each member.

Today, the Baltimore Police Department’s jurisdiction encompasses an area of 86.0 square miles: 78.3 sq. miles of land and 7.7 sq. miles on waterways. The present Headquarters Building of the Police Department was opened in 1972.

baltimorepolice.org/

Daniel J. Shanahan’s book Badges, Bullets and Bars tells the story of his career on the Baltimore Police Department. The book is billed as a “first hand account of police loyalty and disloyalty.” Moreover, according to Shanahan he wrote the book, “for all the excellent Law Enforcement officers who shortened their careers by crossing the thin blue line and venturing into the wrong territory; sometimes into criminal territory. Therefore permanently tarnishing their badge, reputation, family, and all the good that badge stands for. This book is for the police officers that could not find their way back, wanted to make a difference, and unfortunately, could have.”