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“Calling All Cars” opens today and will run through the spring at the Tyler History Center in downtown Youngstown.
YOUNGSTOWN
Bombs, badges and the blue and red lights of Youngstown Police Department cruisers are on display at the Tyler History Center as a part of its “Calling All Cars: A History of the Youngstown Police Department” exhibit.
Current and retired YPD officers – along with their friends and families – were invited to the history center Friday night for a preview of the new exhibit, which includes several dozen artifacts and hundreds of images from more than 200 years of Youngstown law enforcement.
Among the artifacts are police badges – some of which may date back to the Civil War – bombs, vice-squad surveillance equipment, radios, uniforms, riot gear and a working police cruiser light that visitors can switch on and off.
“Calling All Cars” opens today and will run through the spring at the center in downtown Youngstown. The exhibit is free for law-enforcement officers through the weekend. Tickets are $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and college students with ID and $2 for children. The center is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
A majority of the artifacts on display were provided by Charles Guzzy, a retired city detective sergeant. Guzzy, who worked as an officer for 36 years, said he had been collecting pieces of YPD history for the majority of his career.
“The piece that really started my collection was a golden sergeant’s shield that the then-Chief Randall Wellington gave me,” Guzzy said. “I’ve been collecting ever since.”
Jessica Trickett, collections manager at the Tyler History Center, said the exhibit was inspired by a similar collection of firefighter artifacts the organization displayed last fall.
A group of police officers attending the firefighter exhibit decided they would collect police memorabilia from the department as well as private collections and work with the history center to develop a similar display.
One of the officers who led the collection effort, Capt. Jason Simon, said the outpouring of community support for the project was encouraging.
“We were initially anticipating about 50 people to show up for tonight’s preview,” Simon said. “At our last count, we were looking at 120 RSVPs. The response has been great.”
While friends and family members of officers were wandering the exhibit, many retired officers spent the evening catching up with old colleagues and sharing stories of their time in the police department.
Some officers found particular delight from old promotional posters featuring their photos from decades ago.
Photos of the current department are on display alongside photos of officers from decades and in some instances centuries ago.
One of the photos on display depicts Youngstown’s first constable, James Hillman, as he was in 1800 when he first served the city.
Another portrait captures the image of officer Clyde Skellman, who served during the turn of the 19th century and eventually died of pneumonia after chasing a burglary suspect into Lake Newport on a cold February night. Guzzy was given the portrait by the officer’s elderly daughter after she learned of his collection.
“I think if people come here and read through some of the history, they’ll be surprised to see just how much the law-enforcement community has influenced the development of Youngstown, even down to the street names,” Guzzy said.