''Spring 3100'' is a
magazine
A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
published by the
New York Police Department
The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
for current and retired members of the service.
It was first published in March 1930, at the direction of Police Commissioner
Grover Whalen
Grover Aloysius Whalen (1886–1962) was a prominent politician, businessman, and public relations guru in New York City during the 1930s and 1940s.
Early years
Whalen was born on July 2, 1886, in New York City, the son of an Irish immigrant fat ...
.
The name comes from the six-digit telephone number for Police Headquarters at the time the magazine was founded: SPring 3100. At the time, Police Headquarters was located at 240 Centre Street between Grand and Broome, which was in the geographical area covered by the "Spring" telephone exchange. When telephone numbers in New York changed to seven digits, in the late 1930s, the telephone number of Police Headquarters became SPring 7-3100, but the magazine retained the old number as its name.
The magazine's original format size was 11.5" x 9", but in 1955 it was changed to 9.5" x 7".
Spring 3100 serves as the internal magazine for the NYPD. Historically it has provided information on notable members of the Department, promotions, transfers, decorations, significant arrests, technical information and Patrol Guide updates, command activities, and death notices. It was also highly popular with other law enforcement agencies around the world for the invaluable material found within its pages.
Before 1971, the magazine enjoyed higher levels of
circulation and had 35,000
subscribers
The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century. It ...
.
In May 1971, the magazine ceased publication, and its staff reassigned, but was brought back in February 1972.
Its return was short-lived. In 1979, citing a severe manpower shortage, Police Commissioner
Robert McGuire made the decision to cease publication.
In 1988, at the direction of Police Commissioner
Lee P. Brown, the magazine returned in a standard size format and has remained in publication since.
References
External links
Spring 3100 official pageWorldCat record
Magazines established in 1930
Magazines published in New York City
New York City Police Department
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