Oral history interview with Edgar S. Jones, 2015

Biographical Note

Edgar Jones was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1923. He joined the United States Army at seventeen years old shortly before the United States entered World War II. He became a police officer in 1949, beginning as a patrolman in Brownsville, before moving to NYPD Highway Patrol as part of the Motorcycle Squad. He stayed with the Highway Patrol for sixteen years. He was an early member of the NYPD Guardians Association, which was officially recognized by the Department the same year he joined. He was also one of the first black officers assigned to Highway Patrol. He retired as a second grade detective after thirty-seven years in the NYPD

Scope and Contents

Edgar Jones speaks about his time in the New York City Police Department (NYPD) from the 1950s through the 1980s. The year he started his career, 1949, was the same year the NYPD Guardians Association became officially recognized by the NYPD. He describes what it was like being a member of the Guardians Association in their early days. He describes the challenges to grow the membership and how some of the lawsuits the Guardians brought against the NYPD affected his career. He also details the day to day of working in the NYPD during the three decades he was active time. Some historical events he recalls include his the 1960 New York Mid-Air Collision, USS Constellation Fire of 1960, the shooting of detective William Capers, and John F. Kennedy’s visits to New York City

Subjects

• African American police--New York (State)--New York.
• Interviews
• Jones, Edgar--Interviews.
• NYPD Guardians Association.
• New York (N.Y.). Police Department--History.
• Oral histories
• Police--Complaints against--New York (State)--New York.
• Strong, Liz, interviewer.

Access Conditions

Copyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2015