Stop, Look, & Listen:
A Brief History of
Chicago's Crossing Guards
They’re a presence we don’t think often about–but one that helps protect countless lives everyday: the crossing guard.
How often have we stopped to consider their origins–and what would happen if their services stopped entirely?
Today, we’re taking time to look both ways on the impact of these auxiliary members of the public safety community.
Caption from back of photo: Chicago Police school crossing guard, Sophie Whitmore, who guards the street crossing at Montrose and Clarendon, marks a “Merry Christmas” in the snow on [parked auto]. Chicagoans awoke to find strong winds blowing snow over all of the metropolitan area. Photo credits: United Press Telephoto.
December 22, 1953.
Stop, Look, & Listen
As automobiles populated the streets, Chicago needed a solution for keeping children safe.
Up until the 1950s, cities made do. Students were recruited to join Safety Patrols to help guide their peers across the street. The earliest days utilized the police, with officers helping pedestrians cross at particularly busy intersections. The only problem? The police couldn’t be everywhere at once.
Safety concerns lingered. Over 8,000 pedestrians were struck and killed by automobiles in 1954 alone (NSC Injury Facts). Clearly, something needed to be done.
That same year saw the creation of the Police Crossing Guard program, where “women replaced officers at school intersections, thus releasing the patrolmen to perform other responsibilities to better serve the community” (A Proud Tradition: A Pictorial History of the Chicago Police Department).
Photo from A Proud Tradition: A Pictorial History of the Chicago Police Department.
According to the book, the initiative started with “126 women hired to protect children attending public and parochial schools.” The CPD’s Traffic Division supervised these volunteers, training them on road safety and standards.
To keep them recognizable to pedestrians, the women wore a particular uniform, “white skirts with black pants underneath, tucked into black boots” (Sign Paddles and the American Crossing Guard: A History).
To stay more in-line with police attire, the uniforms shifted to navy blue skirts and blue shirts. The 1970s saw more flexibility in uniform choices, permitting women to wear pants instead.
SEND US YOUR STORIES
Having moved from Ireland to America in the 1940s, Mary Scannell followed her father’s advice and began volunteering as a crossing guard. She dedicated nearly three decades as a crossing guard before retiring in 1995.
While the field is mainly dominated by women, Jack Riggio retired from his crossing guard duties at 88 years old!
Do you have any information on…
- The crossing guard in our December calendar image, Sophie Whitmore?
- The history of crossing guard duties with the CPD?
Send details and photos to pon@ponetwork.com. Together, let’s dig deeper into history!
We appreciate your interest in the PONetwork. As a thank you, use the PROMO CODE: BLOG to receive a 10% discount on orders through our Gift Shop. From business cards, to calendars, and beyond, your purchase helps drive our mission of supporting the law enforcement community and bringing together police officers and the people who love them — both online and off!
Please note: all photos in this article, unless explicitly stated, belong to the PONetwork. Please do not re-use or re-distribute without permission.