Leonard Frank Baldy (February 15, 1927 – May 2, 1960) was a

Chicago Police Department The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Chicago City Council. It is the second-largest Law enforcement in the United States#Local, ...

officer who became the city's first

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

traffic reporter. His sometimes comical look at

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

's traffic problems made him a household name. His peers gave him the nickname "Flying Officer Leonard Baldy". He died in a fiery crash on May 2, 1960, when his helicopter threw a rotor blade and crashed in a railroad yard near Milwaukee Avenue and Hubbard Street. A native of Chicago, he graduated from Lane Technical College Preparatory High School (also known as Lane Tech) and was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran who served as a

Signalman A signalman is a rank who makes signals using flags and light. The role has evolved and now usually uses electronic communication equipment. Signalmen usually work in rail transport networks, armed forces, or construction (to direct heavy equi ...

on USS ''Markab''. Baldy gained early recognition in his police career for being the first patrolman in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to experiment with and use the, now famous,

radar gun A radar speed gun, also known as a radar gun, speed gun, or speed trap gun, is a device used to measure the speed of moving objects. It is commonly used by police to check the speed of moving vehicles while conducting Traffic police, traffic enf ...

to detect the speed of vehicles (April 1954). He also wrote the first ticket in the world for speeding using a radar device. As a patrolman in the mid-'50s he appeared in a television commercial directing traffic. He became the most visible department spokesperson when he provided lectures and taught classes to civic groups, organizations, and educational institutions on the topic of traffic safety. He provided the first helicopter traffic report over WGN radio in November 1958. Baldy gained fame during the

Our Lady of the Angels School Fire On Monday, December 1, 1958, a fire broke out at Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, shortly before classes were to be dismissed for the day. The fire originated in the basement near the foot of a stairway. The eleme ...

, in December 1958, when he broadcast his observations from his helicopter above the scene. He provided traffic instructions over the radio to fire and ambulance vehicles trying to reach the fire through Chicago's congested streets. Both Baldy and WGN radio received public service awards from the

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inci ...

for their efforts. After his death, he was elected to the American Police Hall of Fame and had his badge number retired.Officer Down Memorial-Patrolman Leonard F. Baldy
/ref> Forty-six years after his death, the citizens of Chicago remembered him with the honor of renaming a street "Leonard Baldy Way". Chicago newspaper columnist, Neil Steinberg, declared "if ever a Chicago police officer was a celebrity, it was Patrolman Leonard Baldy." Chicago Police Superintendent, Phillip Cline, said, "People who couldn't name the police superintendent, knew who Len Baldy was." One of Officer Baldy's sons became noted radio personality, Jack Elliott In 2006, his son, Tim Baldy, published a biography entitled ''Chicago's Finest''.

References

External links

Find A Grave-Leonard F. Baldy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldy, Leonard 1927 births 1960 deaths Law enforcement officials from Chicago Chicago Police Department officers Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents in the United States United States Navy personnel of World War II Accidental deaths in Illinois United States Navy sailors Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1960