To Serve and Collect: Chicago Politics and Police Corruption from the Lager Beer Riot to the Summerdale Scandal, 1855-1960 [Paperback]

Richard C Lindberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1998

Crooked politicians, gangsters, madams, and cops on the take: To Serve and Collect tells the story of Chicago during its formative years through the history of its legendary police department.

 

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lindberg has a rare gift for making history fun, even with footnotes, and in doing so produces a major work of scholarship that not only puts him in Herbert Asbury’s league but goes a step further by explaining Chicago as well as describing it."—Chicago Magazine

"A grimly amusing case history of big-city police and political corruption, which has achieved its purest form in Chicago."—Digby Diehl, Playboy

"In a clear, flowing style and with scrupulous attention to detail, Richard Lindberg chronicles the unholy alliance of politics, law enforcement, and crime ... : 130 years of unremitting incompetence, deceit, self-aggrandizement, stupidity, and plain venality. . . . Perhaps the most enduring value of this work is in its comprehensive look at Chicago’s political history from the beginning. Lindberg not only provides names, dates, and events, he embellishes the account with fascinating facts, little known details, and occasional touches of suspense that give the book a broad appeal."—Illinois Issues

"Lindberg has written a book in the grand tradition of Herman Kogan, Lloyd Wendt, and Mike Royko. . . . To Serve and Collect is chock-full of the colorful characters with improbable nicknames, outrageous events, and enlivening anecdotes that have earned Chicago its long-established reputation as a freewheeling, wide-open city where the bad guys have hearts of gold and the good guys feet of clay."—Illinois Historical Journal

"An insightful, thorough, provoking book that will raise the ire of a few and bring resounding applause from the many."—John Jemilo, Deputy Superintendent (retired), Chicago Police Department

About the Author

Richard C. Lindberg grew up in Chicago’s Norwood Park neighborhood. His nine books include Chicago by Gaslight: A History of the Chicago Netherworld, 1880–I 920, The White Sox Encyclopedia, and The Armchair Companion to chicago Sports. He is the former editor of the Illinois Police  and Sheriff’s News and served as head writer and senior editor for the Edgar Award-winning Encyclopedia of World Crime.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press; 1st edition (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809322234
• ISBN-13: 978-0809322237
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wealth of information for Chicago history buffs, May 3, 1999

By 

ChicagoJen "jeninandersonville" - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Serve and Collect: Chicago Politics and Police Corruption from the Lager Beer Riot to the Summerdale Scandal, 1855-1960 (Paperback)

I'm an avowed Chicago history buff and found references in this book that simply cannot be found anywhere else. The bibliography alone has led to me several other books on the topic, which is appreciated. Really brought the city to life, and made you want to search out the street corners in question. I found myself asking older acquaintances if they ever met Richie Morrison.

However I have to say the publishers did not do their job here. This book is poorly edited, suffering from simple errors such as misspellings (it's ward heeler, not ward healer), and in general confusing to those of us unfamiliar with the arcane characters filling the pages. I often found myself having to backtrack to figure out who the author was referring to -- a problem compounded by the numerous Irish names and confusing nomenclature.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chicago's Finest Ain't Ready for Reform, June 16, 2008

By 

Borowy26 "Hank" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: To Serve and Collect: Chicago Politics and Police Corruption from the Lager Beer Riot to the Summerdale Scandal, 1855-1960 (Paperback)

This book began its life as the author's thesis paper for the graduate program in history at Northeastern Illinois University. Richard C. Lindberg obtained his Master of Arts degree and adapted his research materials into the first comprehensive history of the Chicago Police Department to be published in the decades (an earlier informal history was really undertaken as a fundraising effort for a policemen's benevolent and fraternal society).

There is a wealth of information (with a detailed bibliography and footnotes) contained in this book about the rise of the police department as the successor to the system of town constables and watchmen, nativist resistance to the growing number of Irish immigrants employed by the police department and the constant interference of venal politicians seeking to protect their business allies and favored criminal enterprises from prosecution for ordinance violations prohibiting gambling, prostitution and after hours drinking while using the force as a political patronage army.

There is a cornucopia of different stories covered in this book from the Haymarket Riot to the Summerdale Burglary Scandal. There are numerous attempts to professionalize and reform the department and constant efforts undertaken by the West Side Bloc to frustrate any significant changes that would upset the divvying up of vice profits with corrupt politicians. The reader will be introduced to a cast of characters which includes such noted police chiefs as Francis O'Neill, Michael Hughes, Orlando Wilson, Frederick Ebersold and so many more!

This book helped launch the professional writing career of one of Chicago's most prolific and often quoted local historians. As such, it deserves your attention. I am happy to see that this valuable book has been republished by Southern Illinois University in a paperback edition.