Gallery Description
The COPS series came about in the winter of 1975 when I was granted access to the Kansas City Missouri Police Department for the purpose of documenting the day-to-day workings of the organization. I was given wide access and made visits to Police Academy, Aviation Unit (it was called Sky Patrol back then), Detective Division, K9 Unit, Headquarters and the Central Patrol Division. These photos capture the small dramas of police and citizens moving through the routine of their daily lives.
What strikes me most is how vintage the images are now. There are no desktop computers, no cell phones or tablets. Paper dictionaries were used instead of spell check. So much has changed for police since these images were taken. It was rare to have a chance to capture the moments in these image. Today it would be just as rare for them not to be imaged in some way at any moment.