Checking up on Chequering
Today I noticed a checkerboard pattern on the sleeve of an ex-cop's jacket. This reminded me of the checkerboard pattern used on police caps in England, and I have noticed police in Chicago used very much the same pattern on their costumes. So, I began to wonder about the origin of this… is it something that every single police dept does? Where did it begin, what is the symbolic meaning of it? Does it, perchance, have any connection to the checkerboard pattern frequently used in Masonic contexts?
I asked the guy with the jacket, and despite the fact that he's an old-timer who's probably seen the pattern a million times, he had no idea. "Tradition? I dunno." he said. No curiosity whatsoever… typical pleb mentality.
But I, noble soul that I am, decided to dig a bit deeper. It turns out that only two major police forces in the United States have adopted the chequered pattern: the Chicago Police Department, and the Pittsburg Police dept. Apart from them, interestingly, a few smaller police forces have adopted the pattern: Cook County Sheriff's Police, Brookfield (Illinois) Police, Evergreen Park (Illinois) Police, Hillside (Illinois) Police including my own home town of Forest Park.
But why? Who decided to do this and what does it mean?
Officially, the story goes back to Scotland, with a pattern called "Sillitoe Tartan", named after Sir Percy Sillitoe, Chief Constable of the City of Glasgow Police. Scotland has been a major hub of Masonic activity for hundreds of years, and was the birthplace of the Scottish Rite, an important branch of Masonry that has had some very powerful members. Sillitoe was himself a Director of Britain's MI5, the secret police of the UK, connecting him intimately with the secret societies of the upper echelon.
But how did the pattern reach US police forces? The pattern was introduced by Orlando Winfield Wilson… here's a section from his biography on wikipedia: "Wilson was born on May 15, 1900, in Veblen, South Dakota, and moved with his family to California.[1] In 1921, Wilson enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in criminology and studying under August Vollmer. Wilson graduated in 1924, with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[2] While at Berkeley, he also worked as a police officer with the Berkeley Police Department; such education for a police officer was rare at the time.[3] During World War II, Wilson served as a Provost Marshal with the U.S. Army and retired from the service with the rank of full colonel in the military police. Wilson remained in Europe until 1947 as an advisor to local law enforcement." So, Wilson was connected with the highest levels of military and police internationally.
Wilson's mentor, August Vollmer, is also a suspicious character-- he was elected president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He also, "played himself in the silent serial Officer 444 which was filmed in Berkeley under the direction of John Ford's brother Francis Ford." Vollmer also "supported the establishment of federal distribution, at cost, of habit forming drugs."
More fascinating details about Vollmer include: He was also the first to use the lie detector, developed at the University of California, in police work. Vollmer supported programs to assist disadvantaged children, and was often criticized for his leniency towards petty offenders such as drunks and loiterers. He also encouraged the training and employment of female and African American police officers.
Vollmer and his protégé Wilson, were both very involved in top Spook Schools as well. Vollmer founded and directed UC Berkeley's first "Criminal justice" program, and Wilson went on to direct similar programs at both Berkeley and Harvard Universities… two schools notorious for their secret societies.
So, given the backgrounds of those responsible for this pattern's introduction, it seems unlikely that this checkerboard pattern was introduced for any reason other than its masonic symbolism. How this symbol made it to my own local police department in Forest Park is still a mystery, but I will do some digging and hopefully find some answer.
And just to mention one additional fact that adds even greater support for this not-so-secret connection between Police and Masonry, we have the symbol of the Fraternal Order of Police:
Also note the masonic "All-seeing eye" and handshake
The FOP was founded by two men in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania... one of the two major cities in the USA which uses the chequering on police costumes. Must just be a coincidence.