Posts Tagged ‘NYPD history’

As the beloved cat mascots of the 153rd Precinct, Dewey and Dick lived a life of luxury in the castle-like police station at 484 Liberty Avenue in the East New York section of Brooklyn.

Join me on October 20, 2021, at 6 p.m. (ET). as I explore the city’s police and fire history while sharing some amazing stories of Old New York’s four-legged bravest and finest. This will be the debut for my FURst Responders of Gotham presentation, which is a prelude to my (possibly) upcoming book of the same title. Registration is required for this free virtual event.

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we met Tramp and Sport, who were popular cat and dog mascots of the Richmond Hill Police in 1924. For this last story of the series, I will tell you about my great-grandfather Joseph Probst Jr., who served on the Richmond Hill Police mounted unit in the early 1900s. I will also explore the history of the Richmond Hill police station and Mounted Unit Troop G.

A few weeks after a collie adopted the men of the Richmond Hill police station, he found a mother cat with newborn kittens in an alley near the police station. After carefully considering the situation, he decided to make preparations to be their knight in shining armor.

When a Maltese cat owned by NYPD Superintendent James J. Kelso was reportedly stolen from his home on East 55th Street, the cat burglary made the headlines in several national newspapers.