Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

POLICE PEAK CAP

Date

1966

Materials

WOOL, LEATHER

No. Pieces

1

Height

13.2

Diameter

27

Description

BLACK WOOL PEAK CAP WITH A BURGUNDY WOOL HAT BAND, A PATENT LEATHER BRIM, AND A GOLD BADGE ON THE FRONT. BADGE HAS A QUEEN'S CROWN ON THE TOP, WITH "POLICE" BELOW, WITH A "CITY OF LETHBRIDGE 1890-1906" CREST IN THE CENTRE, WITH "LETHBRIDGE" ON THE BOTTOM, AND THE PROFILE OF A BEAVER ACROSS THE BOTTOM. ABOVE THE BRIM IS A BLACK CHIN STRAP THAT IS ATTACHED AT EACH EAR WITH A BRASS BUTTON MARKED "POLICE FORCE", WITH A CROWN IN THE CENTRE. INSIDE OF CAP HAS A WHITE TAG MARKED "TAILORED ESPECIALLY FOR MR. CAP 6 7/8 DATE SEPT 66", AND ON A RED STICKER LABEL IS MARKED "CST. M.W.J. ST. ONGE".

Subjects

CLOTHING-HEADWEAR

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

ST. ONGE JOINED CITY POLICE 18 JUNE, 1965 AT AGE 27, HAVING PREVIOUSLY WORKED FOR TRUCKING COMPANY OPERATED BY FODER FAMILY. NEIGHBOR ENCOURAGED ST, ONGE TO JOIN AND WAS ONE OF TWO SELECTED OUT OF INTAKE SCRUTINIZING 100 POSSIBLE CANDIDATES. HIS FIRST FOUR YEARS WERE ASSIGNED TO THE POLICE’S CITY WIDE FOOT BEAT. ST. ONGE’S 1ST BEAT WAS THE CITY’S EAST, WALKING THE BEAT TWICE NIGHTLY, CHECKING FOR OPEN DOORS (NIGHT) AND BROKEN WINDOWS. HE WAS ALONE AND CARRIED NO RADIO (NO PORTABLE RADIOS ISSUED AT TIME EXCEPT IN PATROL CARS). IT WOULD ONLY BE A COUPLE YEARS AFTER HIS SERVICE BEGAN THAT HAND-HELD RADIOS WERE CARRIED – OTHERWISE ST. ONGE MADE CALLS FROM OPEN BUSINESSES. AFTER FOUR YEARS FOOT PATROL HE TRANSFERRED TO TRAFFIC, COORDINATED BY BILL WEST, FOR SIX YEARS. ST. ONGE WAS ADAMANT THAT HE BE THE “ACCIDENT CAR” AND TO ALWAYS, THEREFORE, BE “FIRST IN THE CHUTE”. WEST SOUGHT OUT GOOD QUALITY CARS, RECALLS ST. ONGE. HE COULD NOT REMEMBER WHEN RADAR WAS IMPLEMENTED AND ALSO CONDUCTED TRAFFIC SAFETY WITH KIDS. LETHBRIDGE WAS THE 2ND CRIME STOPPERS (1982) INITIATIVE IN CANADA AND WAS LAUNCHED HERE BY ST. ONGE. HE WAS THE DEPARTMENT’S MEDIA SPOKESPERSON AND PUBLIC LIASON FOR TEN YEARS, CONDUCTING LECTURES AT THE COLLEGE, WITH SCHOOLS AND CITIZENS. CRIME PREVENTION BECAME A SERIOUS ENDEAVOR DURING HIS YEARS AND HE WAS PROACTIVE IN COMMUNITY POLICING. HE WAS EVEN ON TALK SHOWS (TERRY BLAND) WITH OTHER POLICE AGENCY REPS. AFTER TEN YEARS, HOWEVER, HE WAS ENCOURAGED TO MOVE INTO A NEW ROLE AND WAS PROMOTED TO PATROL SGT. HE WAS A COURT LIASON FOR 2 YEARS (APPROX 1985) BEFORE BECOMING ONE OF FIVE STREET SUPERVISORS, (AKA PATROL SGT) ASSIGNED THE COORDINATION OF 12-13 OFFICERS AND ATTENDING MAJOR SCENES AS REQUIRED FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS. BEFORE RETIRING IN 1992, HE WAS A STATION SGT STREET SUPERVISOR, REPORTING TO THE STATION SERGEANT. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING SOME DONATED BY THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE POLICE SERVICES. FOR A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE LETHBRIDGE POLICE COLLECTION, SEE RECORD P19960112001. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE POLICE SERVICES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF INTERVIEWS AND CORRESPONDENCE WITH CURRENT AND FORMER LETHBRIDGE POLICE, SEE PERMANENT FILE P19960112000.

Catalogue Number

P19960112019

Acquisition Date

1996-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail