Given that I have a close personal connection with the Manchester Police Department -- my father was a cop, as was his father before him -- I was thrilled to discover that some folks are coming together to chronicle the history of the MPD.

"We're in our infancy, just three or four months in, but we're making good progress," said Capt. Gerald Lessard, who heads up the Manchester Police Department Historical Committee.

To help achieve his goal, Gerry has pulled together a group of current and former police officers, local historians -- John Jordan and Dick Duckoff among them -- and enlisted the aid of the Manchester Historic Association.

The group's next meeting is set for Jan. 20, and by that time, Gerry hopes to increase the department's current collection of memorabilia and mementoes.

"We already have a display of badges, handcuffs, uniforms and old photos," he said, "but what we envision is a much more sophisticated display in our guard room. That's our most public room -- we have our swearing-in ceremonies there -- and our goal is to do it up right.

"If you think about the generations of officers who have worn the badge and the countless citizens whose lives they've touched, we also know there are some great stories out there, and we'd love to hear the stories, too."

Gerry has some great stories of his own -- he once assisted in the delivery of a baby in what we no longer refer to as the "paddy wagon" --"" as does one of his volunteers, retired police officer Bill Wagner Jr.

Much like my dad, Bill was a second-generation cop. His father, Bill Wagner Sr., was on the job for 27 years, but Bill Jr.'s tenure was cut short when he was struck by a car while on duty at Elm and Manchester streets.

Since we're talking about history, Bill pointed out that the accident took place on Aug. 11, 1971. When the resulting injuries ended his police career, he went on to teach photography at New Hampshire College for 34 years, but his appreciation for the MPD lives on to this day.

"My father came on the job in 1946, and when I came on in 1963, I brought most of Bishop Bradley's Class of '59 with me," Bill smiled. "There were 14 or 15 of us, including two chiefs -- Louis Craig and Peter Favreau -- and I pretty much dragged them all down here."

Last week, Bill dragged his bulging briefcase to the Ralph Miller Public Safety Center to share some of the written material the group has assembled. For me, the old news clippings are priceless. For instance:

The first Greek police officer in Manchester was Nick Langes. He joined the department on June 19, 1919, and by way of qualifications, Chief Michael Healy said, "he expected Nick to make a good officer as he is an expert wrestler and boxer and is well known to the Greek residents of Manchester."

The city's first patrol wagon -- first put into service during the Civil War -- wasn't really a wagon. It was a wheelbarrow, and back when the police holding cell was on the ground floor of City Hall, Patrolman David Alden "arrested a woman on Vine Street who was beastly drunk," according to the Daily Mirror and American.

"She could not walk a step," the paper added, "so he went over to the station and got the wheelbarrow and the woman was placed in it. She was very tall and her feet were dragging on the ground on the one side and her disheveled hair on the other. It is unnecessary to add that the circumstances drew a crowd of people."

For those officers working the night shift back in 1898, "It is the custom here for each officer to carry on his hip a wee bit of candle to which he strikes a match whenever it is necessary to have a little light on a given subject," The Manchester Union noted, and, in an effort to serve and protect in the winter months, Chief Healy opted to "inaugurate an ice squad" for duties at Dorr's Pond in 1923.

When you consider the serious business of the police department, these are relatively trivial items, but they speak to the constant evolution that has marked the history of law enforcement in Manchester.

Now, with the enthusiastic backing of Police Chief David Mara, Captain Lessard's crew is poring over material that can be, by turns, laugh-inducing and heart-rending.

For every light moment -- such as the news report on the inception of the first bicycle squad in May of 1899 -- there is a poignant counterpoint, as with the knowledge that Officer Michael Briggs was killed while on bike patrol back in October of 2006.

Thus, the memory of those who died in the line of duty will be preserved in the finished display -- in addition to Officer Briggs, they include Officer Ralph Miller, Inspector William Moher and Sgt. Henry McAllister -- as will the full array of duties embraced by Manchester's finest.

Did you know that Manchester police officers once ran the city's ambulance service? Did you know that city cops once went door-to-door to conduct the census? And did you know that the MPD's first canine officer was "Teddy," a speedy bull terrier whose first takedown -- a thieving newsboy -- came on July 6, 1905?

You know it now, and I know there are a lot of you out there with stories and artifacts and memorabilia that will help tell the compelling history of the Manchester Police Department.

Capt. Lessard would love to hear from you.

"The history of the Manchester Police Department is a big piece of the history of the city," he explained, "and this is something we'd love for the general public to share in."

If you have material to offer, or if you're interested in attending the Jan. 20 meeting, contact Capt. Gerald Lessard at 668-8711, ext. 351, or reach him via email at glessard@ci.manchesternh.gov

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John Clayton is the author of several books on Manchester and New Hampshire, including his newest title, "Remembering Manchester." His e-mail is jclayton@unionleader.com.