An Unarmed Police Force in the Late 1800s?

[AGarbers]

I am doing research on the Colt M1877. According to two articles I have read from the 1960-1970s, Chicago police favored the M1877 because of its size. A short-barreled M1877 could easily fit in a coat pocket and at the time (1880s-1900s) the public didn't like seeing an armed police officer. Have any of you seen this documented elsewhere?

 

[Mgderf]

Funny how trends come and go.
We see now, again, that the "public" doesn't like seeing an armed police force.

Sad state of affairs.

 

[sparkyfender]

I have always assumed the big city cops on that era were surrounded by and dealing with many immigrants, who were not used to seeing armed policemen in their native lands. I also always assumed that those same police had a firearm under their big old uniform coats.

But I could be wrong........

 

[Liberty Sanders]

Pocket carry was the common method until after WWII, not only east of the Rockies but in the West as well. We've all been conditioned by the movies to think that all adult males walked around western towns wearing Buscadero type rigs. They did not. Even law enforcement kept their irons discreetly concealed. Many agencies used the hip pocket holster where others used a tunic pocket lined with leather. Mens suits of the day could also be ordered with this option.

Wyatt Earp once had an accidental discharge of his Colt hogleg when it fell from his frock coat pocket with a round under the hammer. He went to the "load five" methodology after this.