USC Crime and Law Enforcement; Then and Now Mary Lynne Spazok Are the duties of an Upper St. Clair police officer different in 2013 from what they were in 1940? The Historical Society of Upper St. Clair archives provide intriguing data. In 1940, John A. Klancher was the one and the only USC police officer. Indispensable, he served as the elected constable (detective)—the lone law enforcement—as approved by the Courts of Allegheny County. It’s not that the Township would not hire auxiliary help, but it was nearly impossible to employ men 38 years or younger due to the wartime draft. Later that year, the courts appointed four new members only to have them abruptly whisked away to the Armed Forces or civil defense work. In need of help, the USC Board of Commissioners corresponded with the Selective Service located in Dormont stating, “We wish to point out that it is quite difficult to train one for this office. Being unlike that of boroughs or townships of congested areas where house numbers are available, our police officer must rely on individual names or roads as quite a large populous live on farms.” One had to be familiar with the area. Back then, animal control and emergency medical missions were taken on by Officer Klancher as well. Upper St. Clair was vastly rural compared with the 10.5-square-mile residential community of today. According to his resume, John A. Klancher was born in Upper St. Clair in 1911. He attended Carnegie Mellon University and was trained at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, D.C. Married, with three children, he was originally contracted as
Teaching young students about radio broadcasting 14
UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY
Spring 2013
a commissioned Peace Officer on January 2, 1934, and appointed Chief of Police in 1940. Added to his list of responsibilities was driver training instruction at local area high schools. Fraternal organizations were popular and a necessity for law enforcement officers. John participated in many, including the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), a labor union consisting of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. As a charter member of Don McNeill’s Blue Network Breakfast Club, Klancher appreciated the frivolity of radio’s longest running network entertainment show debuting on June 23, 1933, and broadcasted by the NBC Blue Network. For 35 years, he enjoyed the combination of music, informal talk, and jokes. The observance of a moment of silent prayer each morning started John’s day. John was a member of the Radio Manufacturers Service (A Philco Plan) and the Radio Servicemen of America. During World War II, most Americans followed the news of the war through various resources, including radio broadcasts, newspapers (there were more than 11,000 in the country at that time), and newsreels that preceded movies in local theatres. These sources played a vital role in connecting the home front with the war front and kept Americans informed. Vivid radio broadcasts brought the war into the nation’s living rooms as families gathered ’round to hear the news from overseas and how it impacted their communities. During war years, Klancher was issued a basic mileage rations “A” card for his 1940 Chevrolet patrol vehicle. Other ration stamps included meats and fats, canned goods, sugar, shoes, and whiskey. Each citizen, regardless of status within the community, shared the burden of war.