Additional information
by Stephen C. Grismer (Author)
[Black & White Edition] Drenched Uniforms and Battered Badges recounts the role of Dayton police during Ohio's Great Flood of 1913 and how the police force emerged from the catastrophe. This book describes the efforts of the 136 patrolmen who sacrificed a great deal to aid and save the citizens of Dayton. Many acted on their own instincts in the first few days because they were in the field without lines of communication, transportation or supervision. The story also describes the measures taken by police - as well as firemen, civilian guards and the military - to safeguard the city at the time of its greatest natural disaster. The account begins with the development of local police service in the closing decades of the 19th century leading into 1913. It concludes by relating how the Great Flood became a transformative event for the city of Dayton while ushering in profound changes for local law enforcement over the course of the following decade. A postscript on the Gamewell system of police telegraph (i.e. the patrol call box) is an added feature in the book. This commemorative book, written for the 100th anniversary of the Great Flood, is 114 pages in length and includes more than 70 flood and police pictures, photographs of 25 patrolmen and unique images of police artifacts from the period.
Author Biography
Sgt. Stephen Grismer (ret.) is a 25-year veteran of the Dayton Police Department. He entered the police academy in 1976 and was later assigned to uniform patrol duties in the Fifth District of northwest Dayton. Promoted in 1986, Grismer experienced a broad career in investigations, staff, internal affairs, drug enforcement, intelligence and training. He was a 12-year member of the hostage negotiation team and the vice president of the Dayton Fraternal Order of Police. Grismer is a 1984 graduate of the University of Dayton with a degree concentration in journalism and a minor in criminal justice. In 2008 he helped produce the successful police exhibit at Carillon Historical Park, "Patrolling the Streets of Dayton." Currently, he works for a local law firm, Doll, Jansen, Ford & Rakay, and is a member of the Dayton Police History Foundation, Inc. Board of Trustees.
