Troy has many unique stories regarding its 200-year history, but none as interesting as the period in which it had two different police forces at the same time. The year 1882 was not a good year for criminals, or both police forces that spent as much time arresting each other as they did common criminals.

Naturally, it all began with politics! Blame it on the Troy Common Council. It occurred during the first administration of Mayor Edmund Fitzgerald, in 1882. It seems that a dispute arose as to the legality of Alderman James Morrissey's election to the Board of Aldermen for the 7th ward. The democratic members of the board, objecting to the outcome of the vote, decided to get up in a huff and leave a council meeting believing that without them no business would be conducted. Bad move, boys! The republican and independent members of the council got together and chose a new board of police commissioners consisting of Elisha Hydorn, John Magill, and Samuel Craig.

It was Commissioner Craig who became the center of the problem. It seems even his election was disputed and so Craig removed the existing Superintendent John McKenna and installed John Quigley as head of the police department. Quigley soon realized that none of the members of the police force would obey his orders. The patrolmen and even their superior officers pledged their loyalty to Superintendent McKenna, who they claimed to be their real chief officer.

The feud ended up in court where it remained for over a year. Pending a court decision, Quigley filed charges against the officers and patrolmen who ignored his orders, and those men were found guilty of insubordination by the Police Board and 'removed' from the force on November 21, 1882.
The heads of the precincts, Captains Patrick McCarthy (First), Coleman O'Loughlin (Second), and John McGrath (Third) were then replaced by John O'Connor who was made Captain of the First, D. J. Cary, Captain of the Second and George Gorman, Captain of the Third Precinct. The original detectives, Cornelius Markham, Edward J. McKenna, Bernard Roarke and Charles R. Squire, were replaced with Michael Flynn, John H. Campbell, and John 0. Hairn and Fred C. Rogers.

There was one major hitch to the whole situation. None of the members of the old force recognized their dismissal and in fact kept their uniforms and equipment. More importantly, they kept control of the various precinct houses as well as main Police Headquarters.

The new Police Force established alternative headquarters in the basement of City Hall and made attempts (raids?) to get control of the precincts. However, they were constantly kept barricaded by the members of the old force. Even fights broke out, and on one instance eleven members of the new force were "arrested" by the old force and put in jail cells - under lock and key. Unfortunately for criminals, both police forces competed with each other in arresting those that broke the law, and in fact many criminals were claimed by both. Not a good year to be a criminal in the "collared" city!

This situation went on for 14 months, between 1882-83, before the Court of Appeals finally handed down a decision in favor of the new police force, and the old force capitulated. Since they served 14 months with no pay, they presented claims to recover their wages, and a compromise was reached with the city and they received about half pay.

To insure this didn't happen again a new law was passed on March 13, 1885, titled "An Act to Increase the Police Force of the City of Troy, to Reorganize the Same and to Reorganize the Board of Police Commissioners." It provided for the appointment of two Police Commissioners of opposite political views by the President of the Common Council. Terms of office were two years, and the additional appointment of two other Police Commissioners, whose term of office were four years, were added. Samuel Craig, John Magill, James Fleming, and Elisha W. Hydorn were chosen as commissioners. Fleming was the compromise. A new police force was formed and William W. Willard was made Superintendent of Police to succeed John Quigley, and new patrolmen were hired. Many of the members of the old force originally removed by the Police Commissioners under Mayor Fitzgerald, received their old jobs back.

The moral of the story for the city council? Work together for the good of all Trojans and leave the sour grapes for wine making.