Name/Title
Windham CT Police Department Bearcat III Radio Scanner 1970sEntry/Object ID
2025.41.1Description
An Electra Bearcat III radio scanner and accessories which were used by the Windham CT police department in the 1970s. The scanner itself is dusty but seems in good condition, on the back is a plate with the manufacturer's information, and scratched into the blank metal beside it is "WINDHAM POLICE CT." The tuner and hump mount are also dusty but in good condition. Some of the accompanying wires have spots where the insulation has worn through. The scanner and its accessories are contained in a grey-green metal box. Radio scanners are used to scan a wide range of radio frequencies for any kind of broadcast, to which it can then be tuned. Police departments use them for a variety of reasons though they can also be used by the average citizen.Context
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Town of Windham, CT, had not one, but TWO police departments. The larger Willimantic Police Department patrolled the City of Willimantic, the urbanized, industrialized portion of Windham in its northeast corner. Willimantic had become a borough in 1833 -- borough status meant that Willimantic remained a part of Windham, but that it could enact additional borough taxes to address urban problems, such as police protection. Willimantic became a city in 1893, which entailed pretty much the same powers as a borough. Following World War II, the rest of Windham decided that it, too, wanted to establish a police department, and did so with the creation of the separate Windham Police Department. In 1983, near the end of the industrial era, Willimantic gave up its separate status and "reconsolidated" with the Town of Windham. However, the Town was now divided into tow "taxing districts"; the First Taxing District comprised the old borough/city of Willimantic, and the Second Taxing District comprised the rest of the Town, less urban and more rural/suburban in character. The residents of the First Taxing District opted to pay additional municipal taxes to support the continuation of the Willimantic Police Department (among other things), which continued to patrol the streets of the First Taxing District. But even before consolidation, the residents of what would become the Second Taxing District opted to disband the old, smaller Windham Police Department and instead contract with the State of Connecticut for a Resident State Trooper. Thus, the Windham Police Department -- unlike the Willimantic Police Department -- no longer exists.Collection
General CollectionMade/Created
Manufacturer
Electra CompanyDate made
circa 1970Time Period
20th CenturyPlace
* Untyped Place
Cumberland, IndianaCountry
United States of AmericaContinent
North AmericaLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
Scanner, RadioNomenclature Primary Object Term
RadioNomenclature Sub-Class
Telecommunication DevicesNomenclature Class
Telecommunication T&ENomenclature Category
Category 06: Tools & Equipment for CommunicationLocation
Location
* Untyped Location
Archives U1-B-1Category
PermanentDate
June 8, 2025Provenance
Provenance Detail
Belonged to Windham CT Police DepartmentCreated By
Kearney, QuinlanCreate Date
June 8, 2025Updated By
historian@millmuseum.orgUpdate Date
June 14, 2025
