In this paper, we will examine the life of Allan Pinkerton. We will examine how his history with law enforcement influenced the major events that involve the Pinkerton Detective Agency during his life. The last topic of discussion will cover the impact of the agencies innovations on law enforcement and the private security industry. Allan Pinkerton was born August 25, 1819 in Glasgow, Scotland.
He began working at an early age as a cooper and very active in the Chartist movement during these years as well.When the Chartist movement was at a slow down, Pinkerton immigrated to the United States. (Biography Allan Pinkerton’s Detective Agency: PBS, (2009). Pinkerton settled based his new roots in Chicago around 1842.
And at that time, he decided to join the law enforcement agency. During his law enforcement career, he was promoted to Deputy Sherriff. While in office, he organized a force of detectives. Who focused on the capture of thieves, who were stealing railway property and this was how his organization developed as; The Pinkerton Nation Detective Agency in 1852. Clifford, (2004). Some major events that occurred during Pinkerton’s detective years were; in 1961 Pinkerton was investigating the Confederates sabotage of a railroad in Maryland, which had planned on assassinating the then President-elect, Abraham Lincoln on his way to the inauguration in Washington, D.
C. (National Park Service: U. S. Department of the Interior: Allan Pinkerton, (2013).
Pinkerton convinced Lincoln to revise his plans and saved the Presidents life and supervised the successful journey to Washington for the Presidents Inauguration.Pinkerton was also asked by a friend, General George B. McClellan to help gather information on the enemy for Union, and was dubbed as; “Secret Service”, until he was dismissed in 1862. (Clifford, (2004). He then began to focus back on engaging all his labor into his own detective agency and was instrumental in the capturing of some of the most notorious organized criminals and railroad robbers such as; the Dalton Gang, the James Brothers and even Frank and Jesse James.Biography Allan Pinkerton’s Detective Agency: PBS: (2012).
The impact of the Pinkerton Agency’s innovations on law enforcement and private security industry could include; being the first one in the industry to photograph criminals after their arrest, by doing this it developed a system that when a crime was committed the Sheriff or witnesses could send descriptions to the details of the suspect out to other agency, to help aid in apprehending the fugitive or criminal.National Park Service: U. S. Department of Interior: Allan Pinkerton, (2013). The production of the; now better known mugshot is one of the biggest innovation and contributions made to the success of law enforcement agencies and to private security as well, so kudos to Allan Pinkerton Agency for the current success as well of our law enforcement agencies and to private security.
We now know the history of Allan Pinkerton and the impact he has made not only in law enforcement but to private security as well. We took a look into the accomplishments and achievements, Mr. Pinkerton made in his career in law enforcement as well as with the success of his own private detective agency. We learned of some great innovation, he contributed to law enforcement and private security, which in turn has made both operations much more successful today.
