Interview with Ronald Bove. Policing and Change Over Time, Hist 150 Spring 2022, Conducted by Rebecca Fleetwood, March 23, 2022.

Overview to Social Change Interview

The term “police officer” and law enforcement in general has gotten a more negative connotation in the past few years. The actual first police department was formed in Boston in 1838. Flash forward to data collected 2019, there are more than 18,000 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies with more than 420,000 officers. The Civil Rights Movement, which lasted from 1950s to 1960s, was a major movement that largely invoked law enforcement, majorly throughout the South. Ronald Bove entered law enforcement in 1959. Through his first years on the force, he encountered events pertaining to the Civil Rights Movement.

In this interview, my grandfather speaks on his history in the police force, such as what police departments he has worked under, and which positions he held. He speaks about the demographics of the department during the early 1960s and what happened following Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Ronald also discusses raising a family during this period of American history and its effects on the process. There is a discussion about general crime rates in the Alexandria area during the 1960s. Ronald talks about what he has seen in the transformation of police officers/police departments then versus now in the 2020s. He talks about the increasing drug problem, particularly fentanyl, in today’s society and how it affects crime rate.

Biography of Interviewee:

Ronald Bove was born in November of 1940. He first entered law enforcement while in high school in the Air Force Reserve. Following graduation from high school, he was sworn in as a cadet in 1959. He was employed first by the Alexandria City Police Department and worked there for 11 years before being hired by the newly formed Prince William County Police Department. Bove worked there for 25 years before retirement in 1995. He currently lives with his wife of 58 years, has 4 children, and 7 grandchildren.

Research:

The term “foot beat” that my grandfather used intrigued me. Upon further research, it is still very encouraged today. Although today, it is referred to as “community policing”. The main goal of this practice is to hopefully increase the trust between police departments and communities. Community policing aims to “decrease animosity and increase legitimacy”. Another topic that my grandfather covered was the problem of drugs. As of 2020, 1 in 4 Virginian deaths were the result of an opioid overdose. Both emergency department visits due to opioids and overdose deaths from opioids increased from 2019 to 2020.

One should note that the subculture of drugs in the 1960s is different from the opioid epidemci of recent years. But it was in the 1960s that the Drug Abuse Control Amendments of helped to establish a Bureau of Drug Abuse Control within the Federal Drug Administration in 1965.

Transcript:

Rebecca Fleetwood 0:00

So, my first question to you is what made you decide to join the police force?

Ronald Bove 0:08

Well, when I was in high school, I had an interest in going to the Secret Service. And that was my junior year. And then my brother joined the police department in Alexandria, Virginia. So, when I was a senior, I went into the Air Force Reserve, joined the Air Police, and went to reserve meetings. And then when I graduated, I started as a police cadet [a trainee police officer] in the city of Alexandria. And when I was sworn in as an officer was 1961, November 1961, I was sworn in as an officer and-

Rebecca Fleetwood  0:50

Okay. Do you remember, it was the 1960s, so do you remember what the demographics of your police departments looked like?

Ronald Bove 1:04

As far as-what you mean the makeup of it?

Rebecca Fleetwood 1:12

Yes, like so-kind of like, racial-racially and ethnically. Do you remember what the demographics were like?

Ronald Bove 1:20

Yes, in the 60s, of course, it was still segregation in the early 60s. And we didn’t have any minority officers until after-oh, I would say, when President Johnson [President Lyndon B. Johnson] signed that bill in ’64 [Civil Rights Act of 1964]. They encouraged police departments to hire minorities, and then we hired the first, I think it was two-two black officers. And I-I’m not sure exactly what year that was, but they were the first two that joined and one of them retired from there. I don’t know what happened to the other one. But, but then they, they started growing from there between minorities, and then they started hiring women eventually.

Rebecca Fleetwood 2:16

Okay. So you were sworn in as an officer in 1961. And then I know Uncle Ron was born in ’64. So how did your career and the things that you were seeing influence how you raised your family?

Ronald Bove 2:33

Well, I don’t know if the job influenced me on how to raise the kids as much as the way I was raised as a child. And I think that had a lot to do with the way we raised, raised our children. Of course, I saw incidents where younger people were involved. And we just made a point that we just keep them busy and, and Ma [nickname I call my grandmother] stayed home with them until the youngest one, Uncle Jim, started school. And I think that helped a lot. But I don’t think the job influenced the way we raised them that much.

Rebecca Fleetwood 3:23

Okay, what was I going to say, did you ever want or think that any of them would have wanted to be police officers?

Ronald Bove 3:38

I, I always discouraged them from doing that. Because it was it was sort of a thankless job. And it still is it seems like, but anyway, the only one that showed interest. And I didn’t know that until he was in college, was Uncle Ron, the oldest one. And then I guess Uncle Randy was somewhat interested because he did an internship with ATF, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms [a law enforcement agency in the Department of Justice], when he was in college. But he never, he never followed that path. Uncle Ron took Criminal Justice his first year in school, wasn’t doing too well and he changed his major, and wind up making the Dean’s List. But he never followed the path either.

Rebecca Fleetwood 4:32

You’ve kind of touched on this earlier, but do you think that during the 60s, because that was during Civil Rights or anything, do you think that affected like crime rate in your area? Because you worked so close to D.C.?

Ronald Bove 4:51

Oh, yes, we, yes, I think there was, there was a lot of- in the early 60s there was, of course there are a lot of protests about, you know, sensitive issues and the War, the Vietnam War. They, they were protesting and that was a lot of young people doing that, college students protesting more [against] racism or whatever-

Rebecca Fleetwood 5:26

Do you think that-no, go ahead.

Ronald Bove 5:30

Well, that was, that was in the 60s. But like I said, then they started integrating the schools and everything because they had separate schools. And they started integrating the schools, and everything. And it just took a while for people to adjust to that because they weren’t used to it.

Rebecca Fleetwood 5:50

Do you think that things, during that time, were like some of the worst you had seen throughout your whole career, or just at that time?

Ronald Bove 5:57

I would think the 60s was probably the worst that I had seen, because there was so much turmoil with the change from segregation to integration. And like I said, it took a while for people to get used to that. And there was a lot of racial issues back then. And then it seems like it got better over the years different programs that were set up and neighborhood policing and they get to know the people better and everything. But I would say in my career, 36 years, I would say that probably was the, if you want to say highlight-of the-what was going on. At that time, I think was the worst.

Rebecca Fleetwood 6:57

So that obviously kind of relates to what’s happened recently, with all the Black Lives Matter stuff, do you think-can you describe the change that you’ve seen in the duties of police officers, then versus now?

Ronald Bove 7:15

Oh, I think back in the 60s, when they had all these protests and all this, there was a couple of incidences where the police looked-some of the departments, they looked, made some bad decisions and it reflected in all the police-all the police departments got punished by some that did something they shouldn’t have done, you know, like the civil rights protesters, and they were in Alabama, protesting. They use water hose and dogs on them.[referring to Alabama’s Commissioner of Public Safety, Eugene “Bull” Connor, who ordered the use of fire hoses and dogs on protestors during the Civil Rights Movement in 1963].

That was like in 63 or something. But then as-police, the police departments realized they needed some change and so they started change-trying to change image and the one big difference was the putting the officers out of the cars, putting them in on a foot beat [a system of policing where officers walk on foot to get to know the community] where they would, rather than drive around they would walk and get to know the people in the community better and the merchants.

And they felt people wanted to get to know the police and they felt safer when they saw them walking around. So that was one of the changes they made. That helped I think, and then and then eventually in like the 80s, 70-80s, they started the foot patrol, they went into community policing, where they assigned officers to a certain area so they could get to know people in that area on a personal basis. And then they start, eventually they start opening, we used to call them satellite stations, like in a mall they get a storefront and they’d assign maybe four or five officers to there and they worked out of that office and they get to know people in like Potomac Mills, for example, they had officers there in the head offices working out of there and they got to know the people in there that, you know, the merchants and they got to know the people shopping there and it just felt-they just felt safe seeing police around. So, they call them the neighborhood police station but that’s what-we call the storefront operations because they used to open up different locations in the community.

Rebecca Fleetwood 9:58

So do you think that personable police, like foot patrolling and everything, do you think that would be- I mean, I’m not sure exactly how it works now, but do you think that’s changed?

Ronald Bove 10:13

I think nowadays that it has somewhat because I don’t think, I don’t think they have foot patrol, like they did back in the day, walking a beat, I think you see less and less of that. Now maybe the bigger cities like New York-New York, Philadelphia, they may have still have walking beats, you know. I know Prince William did-never had a walk because they were so spread out, it was so big.

Rebecca Fleetwood 10:53

You had said that back then police departments were making not the best decisions and that reflected on everyone. Would you say that kind of still holds true now, with everything that’s happened?

Ronald Bove 11:05

It’s almost like going around, it’s coming like in the cir- coming back to circle again, but the police are being you know accused of things and, and there’s protests and rioting. And you know, like last summer, they’re rioting all over and, I mean, they really went off the deep end though, as far as that goes, but it seemed like it went in full circle, came back again, the same thing. I feel like they’re trying to prove their image again, like they did back then. You know?

Rebecca Fleetwood 11:42

Yes.

Ronald Bove 11:43

And they want to defund. Now they want to defund. We never had that problem, defunding. But now they’re calling for defunding and they don’t-people don’t realize, you do away with law enforcement. You just have crime go rampant like it’s happening in some of the cities now.

Rebecca Fleetwood 12:04

So how do you think crimes and things now compare to what you were seeing when you were a police officer?

Ronald Bove 12:12

I think, I think the biggest thing I think and it’s-there was drugs involved when I was working, but it’s just gotten entirely out of hand from what I could read. You know, reading that the drug problem has really gotten big, especially with this fentanyl. A grain of fentanyl like you take a grain of salt, you can get a grain of fentanyl like that, and it could kill someone just like that. Just that small dose. And I think there’s more being brought into the country you know since the borders aren’t too secure. So, I’d say probably drugs is one of the bigger, bigger than what it was even when we- when I was working, which was a problem, but I think it’s even greater now.

Rebecca Fleetwood 13:03

So, you retired in 1995? I think Mom said right?

 

Ronald Bove 13:09

July 1st, 1995. Yes.

 

Rebecca Fleetwood 13:12

At that time were things like, were you-which police department were you in when you retired?

 

Ronald Bove 13:21

I was in Alexandria till 1970. In May of ’70. I went to Prince William County; they were forming a new police department. So, I figured I’d get in on the ground floor and they hired me. They were only hiring officers with three years’ experience because they were just starting out. So, we started with 42 men, and they hired me as Administrative Sergeant [a sergeant is a rank in the police force who supervises an entire watch shift in smaller departments] in ’70. And then I went to different-I was in administration and then I went there for a few years. And then I- they put me in operations, which is street sergeant. And then after about five years, I went to the academy and taught Motor Vehicle Code at the police academy for two and a half years. And when I went back to the police department, Prince William, they promoted me to lieutenant [a rank in the police force who supervises 2-3 or more sergeants]. I was a deputy district commander out at the Garfield station in Woodbridge. But I left ’70 and went to Prince William and I was there 25 years in Prince William, 11 years in the city and 25 in Prince William.

 

Rebecca Fleetwood 14:40

When you retired were- was the crime rate like low or high or was- were things more calm?

 

Ronald Bove 14:48

They had, it’s hard. It’s hard to go back that far and remember but I mean we had our share of break ins, you know, burglaries and stuff like that and drugs and everything like that. The crime I think the crime was pretty high but I think with the growth in this country and in the counties just like when we moved here 48 years ago down here to Stafford, but anytime there’s growth, you’re gonna have more crime and that’s what’s happening, it used to be a quiet little place but now the more you read in the paper every day, there’s-there’s crime you know, not only drugs, drunk driving or whatever but shootings and so forth.

 

Rebecca Fleetwood 15:46

Okay-

 

Ronald Bove 15:47

I think it’s probably higher than what it was when I, when I was working, I think the crime rates are higher.

 

Rebecca Fleetwood 15:55

Okay, well I think that’s all the questions I have for you unless there’s anything else you wanted to add.

 

Ronald Bove 16:03

No, what, what are they trying to do with the, I mean what are they-what’s the purpose of-of what are they trying to find out or what class is this I guess is what I want to know. What kind of class is-?

 

Rebecca Fleetwood 16:17

This is for my history class about-

 

Ronald Bove 16:21

Oh.

 

Rebecca Fleetwood 16:21

-about social change.

 

Ronald Bove 16:23

Oh, okay. Well, no, I think it’s good that you’re trying to find out something. You probably learned something about your grandfather you didn’t know. But no, I’m, I’m fine. And if you have anything else-

 

Rebecca Fleetwood 16:44

I don’t think I have anything else.

 

Ronald Bove 16:45

-feel free to ask.

 

Rebecca Fleetwood 16:47

Thank you. I’ll stop recording if we’re-

 

Ronald Bove 16:50

Okay.

 

Rebecca Fleetwood 16:50

If you don’t have anything else to add-

 

Ronald Bove 16:53

No if you have any other questions, just call, let me know.

[Transcribed by https://otter.ai]

 

Interview Process:

This interview with my grandfather was conducted via recorded phone call utilizing Google Voice. I initially contacted my grandfather to set up the interview using both email and phone. We decided on an evening that worked for us both and then I contacted him via the Google Voice phone call. I downloaded the recorded call onto my computer and then edited it a bit in Garage Band. I did not have to edit a lot, just some small talk at the beginning and end of the conversation.

Bibliography:

“Opioid Homepage.” Opioid Data, 15 Dec. 2021, https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/opioid-data/.

This website is the Virginia Department of Health’s official website. The Virginia Department of Health is composed of the statewide central office in Richmond along with 35 local health districts. The VDH promote healthy lifestyles and choices that helps to educate the public about being prepared in case of emergency with chronic diseases. This department also informs the public about threats to their health and track disease outbreaks within Virginia. The section of the VDH website that I referenced was the opioid data page. This page explained the increase in the drug addiction trend in Virginia. It explains that the VDH works to prevent injury/death from addiction and preventing infectious diseases that are in relation to addiction.

“Role of Police in America.” Charles Koch Institute, 19 May 2021, https://charleskochinstitute.org/stories/role-of-police-in-america/.

Simonson, Jocelyn. “Copwatching.” California Law Review, vol. 104, 2016, pp. 391–445., https://shibbolethsp.jstor.org/start?entityID=https%3A%2F%2Fidp.jmu.edu%2Fopenathens&dest=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24758728&site=jstor. Accessed 2022.

Virginia Drug Abuse Control Programs – JLARC. 14 Oct. 1975, http://jlarc.virginia.gov/pdfs/reports/Rpt02.pdf.

This website is a link to a PDF from the 1970’s about Virginia’s Drug Abuse Control Programs. The PDF summarizes all of these programs in 1975 when the program evaluation was held. This document explains the patterns of drug use, discusses drug education, state drug cases, arrest statistics, etc. Because this document was written in the 1970s, it discusses the drug problems of the 1960s. The PDF is thorough and very informative. It gets very specific about certain aspects of drugs and the drug problem.

 

Transcription Process:

I decided to use the transcription service of Otter.ai to initially transcribe the interview. After the audio ran through the service, I then read over the transcription to look for any grammatical errors. In the process of editing my transcript, I referred to the Oral History Transcription Style Guide by Columbia University’s Center For Oral History Research (https://incite.columbia.edu/publications-old/2019/3/13/oral-history-transcription-style-guide). Some of the questions that arose for me during the process were whether I should clarify certain terms that were brought up by my grandfather. Terms of rank, such as “cadet” or “lieutenant”, I ultimately decided should be clarified using brackets following the term. I also chose to clarify an acronym along with a nickname. I referred to pages 11 and 12 of the style guide to aid me in the use of brackets and what they should be used for. On page 15 of the guide, it says to transcribe compound words that are merged into one as the full words. Because of this, I changed all of the uses of “ya know” to “you know”. On page 15, it also says to transcribe slang words of disagreement or agreement as “yes” or “no”; therefore, all “yeah”s have been changed to “yes”s.