Walter E. Headley

Walter E. Headley (May 11, 1905 – November 16, 1968) was the Chief of Police of Miami, Florida in the 1960s. Headley became famous for his use of the phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts".[1] During his tenure as police chief, he was regarded as a popular public figure by many, in spite of his heavy-handed policies.[2]

Headley was characterized in the 1969 Miami Report about the 1968 Miami riot for the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence as a "strong-minded, hardworking police chief" who "carried virtually unchanged into the late 1960s policies of dealing with minority groups which had been applied in Miami in the 1930s and even earlier".[3]: 2  This was an apparent reference to policies promulgated by Headley's predecessor, Chief H. Leslie Quigg.

Early life

Headley was born in Philadelphia in 1905. According to Headley, when he was 15, he stole his father's draft card and joined the U.S. Army.[2] Following work as a riding instructor and sausage salesman,[2] he joined the police in 1937.[4]

Headley was made chief of police in August 1948.[4]

"When the looting starts, the shooting starts"
Main article: When the looting starts, the shooting starts

On December 26, 1967, during the civil unrest in the United States that occurred in the long, hot summer of 1967, Headley announced that six three-man teams of officers equipped with "shotguns and dogs" would respond to the "young hoodlums" from "Negro districts" in Miami with lethal force[5][6] and stated "his men have been told that any force, up to and including death, is proper when apprehending a felon".[7] In a pithy soundbite during the post-statement interview with reporters, Headley claimed that Miami had avoided "civil uprising and looting" because he had "let the word filter down that when the looting starts, the shooting starts".[5][8][9]

Headley stated: "Felons are going to learn that they can't be bonded out from the morgue."[10] Florida Governor Claude Kirk expressed his support for Headley's tactics: "Let them all know they will be dealt with [harshly]. We have the weapons to defeat crime. Not to use them is a crime in itself."[9] Headley added "we don't mind being accused of police brutality."[9]

Death

Headley died of cardiac arrest in 1968 at the age of 63.[11][12] He was replaced as chief of police by Bernard L. Garmire.[13]

References
  1. D'Angelo, Bob (May 30, 2020). "Who was Walter Headley, whose 1967 'looting, shooting' phrase was used in Trump tweet?". KIRO 7 News Seattle. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  2. Congress of the United States (January 18, 1968). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the U.S. Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 312.
  3. Hector, Louis J.; Helliwell, Paul L.E. (January 15, 1969). Miami Report: The report of the Miami Study Team on civil disturbances in Miami, Florida during the week of August 5, 1968 (Report). National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  4. D'Angelo, Bob; Desk, Cox Media Group National Content (May 30, 2020). "Who was Walter Headley, whose 1967 'looting, shooting' phrase was used in Trump tweet?". WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  5. "Words Fail; Miami Cops Get Tough with Negro Thugs". Standard-Speaker. Vol. 102, no. 28, 451. Hazleton, Pennsylvania. December 27, 1967. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Miami's 'War' On Slum Crime Draws Protests". San Bernardino Sun. UPI. December 28, 1967. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  7. Cohen, Howard (May 29, 2020). "Trump's tweet was flagged for 'glorifying violence'. A Miami police chief said it first". The Miami Herald. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  8. Evon, Dan (May 29, 2020). "Did Trump and George Wallace Both Say, 'When the Looting Starts, the Shooting Starts'?". Snopes.
  9. "Florida Governor Backs Miami Police in Hoodlum Crackdown". The Desert Sun. UPI. December 28, 1967. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  10. Cooper, Hal (December 30, 1967). "Big City Police Deciding to Be Tough on Rioters Next Summer". San Bernardino Sun. AP. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  11. "Walter Headley of Miami Dies; Controversial Police Chief, 63; His Tough Law Enforcement Measures Had Angered Civil Rights Leaders". The New York Times. November 17, 1968. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  12. "Chief of Police in Miama, Walter Headley, Dies at 63". The Tampa Tribune. November 17, 1968. p. 27. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  13. United States Congress House Select Committee on Crime (1970). Crime in America--aspects of Organized Crime, Court Delay, and Juvenile Justice: Hearings, Ninety-first Congress, First Session, Pursuant to H. Res. 17 ... U.S. Government Printing Office.
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