Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

POLICE DRESS JACKET

Date Range From

1991

Date Range To

1993

Materials

WOOL, RAYON

No. Pieces

1

Length

79.8

Width

44

Description

NAVY BLUE WOOL JACKET WITH FOUR POCKETS AT FRONT. FOUR CHROME BUTTONS AT FRONT CLOSURE; ALSO ONE ON EACH POCKET AND SHOULDER TAB. TRAPEZOID SHOULDER FLASH ON EACH SHOULDER; BLACK WITH YELLOW TRIM AND "LETHBRIDGE POLICE" EMBROIDERED AROUND CREST. RIGHT SHOULDER HAS SECOND FLASH BELOW, ALSO BLACK WITH YELLOW TRIM; READS "CHAPLAIN". INTERIOR OF RIGHT BREAST POCKET HAS TAG WITH "GORDON CAMPBELL LTD. VANCOUVER CANADA J. TAYLOR AUG/81 9135 G4502".

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

FOLLOWING INFORMATION RESEARCHED AND COMPILED AS PART OF A POLICE CHAPLAINCY EXHIBIT IN 2008, CALLED BADGE MEETS BIBLE. AT THE TIME, FORMER CHAPLAINS RON BUTCHER AND VERN (TIM) HUNTLEY WERE SPOKEN TO IN ADDITION TO FORMER POLICE CHIEF TERRY WAUTERS. MUCH INFORMATION WAS SOURCED FROM HERALD ARTICLES, DATING TO THE 1970S. JACKET WORN BY SALVATION ARMY CAPTAIN LEN VIRTUE. VIRTUE SERVED AS THE FORCE’S CHAPLAIN FROM 1991 TO 1993 AND WAS THE FIRST CHAPLAIN TO BE ISSUED A UNIFORM. FORMER POLICE CHIEF TERRY WAUTERS OUTFITTED VIRTUE IN ORDER THAT THE HE AND FUTURE CHAPLAINS WOULD BE IDENTIFIED AS FORCE MEMBERS. THIS UNIFORM STYLE WAS REFERRED TO BY FORMER CHAPLAIN TIM HUNTLEY (1994 TO 1997) AS THE CHAPLAINS’ “EVERYDAY WORK UNIFORM” AND WAS WORN ON POLICE ‘RIDE-ALONGS’ AND AT EMERGENCY SITES – PLACES WHERE VISUAL IDENTIFICATION WAS IMPORTANT. THE CHAPLAINS WERE ADDITIONALLY ISSUED A FORMAL DRESS UNIFORM FOR WEAR AT CEREMONIAL EVENTS. FOR OVER TWO DECADES, THE LETHBRIDGE POLICE FORCE OPERATED A CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM SIMILAR TO THAT OFFERED IN ALBERTA’S CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM. CHAPLAINS APPOINTED TO THE FORCE WERE RECOGNIZED AS HONORARY MEMBERS AND EVENTUALLY WORE THE FORCE’S UNIFORM. ITS FIRST CHAPLAINS, CATHOLIC PRIEST FATHER FRANK MCCARTY AND SALVATION ARMY CAPTAIN RON BUTCHER, WERE CONCURRENTLY APPOINTED IN 1973. FATHER MCCARTY WAS THE LONGEST SERVING CHAPLAIN ON THE LETHBRIDGE CITY POLICE FORCE, RECEIVING A 10 YEAR LONG SERVICE MEDAL FROM THE POLICE IN 1983. DESCRIBED AS A “GRUFF, ROUGH OLD BOSTON IRISHMAN” WITH A HEART AS BIG AS THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, THE CATHOLIC PRIEST PREFERRED HIS CHAPLAINCY ROLE WITH THE POLICE AND THE LETHBRIDGE CORRECTIONAL CENTRE OVER WORKING WITH A CHURCH CONGREGATION. HIS DEATH IN 1985 WAS THE RESULT OF A FALL SUFFERED WHILE PERFORMING HIS DAILY ROUNDS AT THE POLICE STATION AT AGE 76. SALVATION ARMY CAPTAIN RON BUTCHER WAS APPOINTED AS A POLICE CHAPLAIN IN 1973 AND SERVED UNTIL 1979. IN 2008 HE COMMENTED THAT HE “WALKED A FINE LINE AS CHAPLAIN” DUE TO THE NEED TO BE TRUSTED BY BOTH THE POLICE AND PERSONS UNDER ARREST. TO GAIN THE RESPECT OF THE POLICE, BUTCHER STATED THAT HE WENT SO FAR AS TO PARTICIPATE IN POLICE SELF DEFENSE TRAINING IN ORDER THAT THE FORCE’S OFFICERS WOULD COME TO KNOW AND RESPECT HIM AS A PERSON. BUTCHER’S ADVOCACY AND COUNSELING SERVICES WERE AVAILABLE TO BOTH POLICE MEMBERS AND ARRESTED ALIKE. POLICE CHAPLAINS WERE UNPAID, AVAILABLE ON REQUEST, 24 HOURS A DAY AND ACCOMPANIED OFFICERS – OFTEN DAILY – WHILE OUT ON PATROL. IN ADDITION TO ATTENDING TO THE SPIRITUAL AND PRACTICAL NEEDS OF PERSONS IN POLICE CELLS, THEY ENGAGED AND COMFORTED PERSONS IN CRISIS, WHETHER IT WAS SOMEONE WHO WANTED TO COMMIT SUICIDE, A VICTIM OF A CRIME OR A FAMILY GIVEN NEWS OF A LOVED ONE’S SUDDEN LOSS. IN 1995, CHAPLAIN TIM HUNTLEY COMMENTED, “I’M (HERE) FOR WHOMEVER THE POLICE FEEL SHOULD HAVE SOMEONE TO TALK WITH, BE IT THEMSELVES, THE VICTIMS OF A CRIME OR THE PEOPLE, OR FAMILIES, OF THOSE UNDER ARREST”. THE CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM WAS DISBANDED IN 1997. IT’S LONGEVITY AND SUCCESS WAS OWED TO THE MUTUAL RESPECT THAT EXISTED BETWEEN THE CHAPLAINS AND THE OFFICERS. THE CHAPLAINS APPRECIATED THE “COOPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING” SHOWN BY THE OFFICERS TOWARDS THEIR WORK – WORK WHICH, MANY FELT, CONTRIBUTED TO THE FORCE’S OVERALL ABILITY TO SERVE THE PUBLIC GOOD. THE DISBANDMENT OF THE CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM IN 1997 MAY HAVE BEEN, IN PART, DUE TO THE FOUNDING OF A VICTIMS’ SERVICES UNIT WITH THE POLICE IN 1991. AT THAT TIME, UNITS OF ITS KIND WERE BECOMING FAIRLY COMMON WITH POLICE SERVICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OVER A ONE-YEAR PERIOD IN 1994, THE UNIT’S VOLUNTEERS HANDLED 747 FILES WHICH INCLUDED THE PROVISION OF SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE VICTIMS AND FAMILIES OF ASSAULT, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS, BREAK-INS, ROBBERIES AND SUICIDE. TODAY’S VICTIM/WITNESS SERVICES PROGRAM PROVIDES, AMONG OTHER THINGS, AN EMPATHETIC EAR, PERSONAL VISITS TO HOMES AND HOSPITALS, REFERRALS, AND COURT PREPARATION INFORMATION. FOR OTHER CHAPLAINCY ITEMS, SEE P19960112012. RELATED PHOTOS CAN BE FOUND IN THE ARCHIVES HERALD COLLECTION PER ARTIFACT’S HARDCOPY FILE. *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

P19960112116

Acquisition Date

1996-12

Collection

Museum

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