9781422285114

Over time, however, criminal gangs grew in size. They carried the latest weapons, including machine guns. The gangs became stronger and more dangerous, more than some police units could handle. Police shifted their tactics. In 1925, the NYPD formed an Emergency Service Unit. The Gunman’s Squad was part of the unit. The squad was made up of 60 heavily armed officers. They carried rifles, machine guns, and handguns. They patrolled the streets in green trucks. As times changed, so did police strategy . As criminals grew more brazen, officers found new ways of battling them. The police recruited skilled officers and marksmen and put them in special units. More and more officers began taking fire- arms training and carrying weapons on their daily patrols. Departments began training groups of officers to work together to “raid” criminal hide- outs. Even with that, and despite the creation of these units, police officers still found themselves outgunned. More needed to be done.

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