Walter E. Headley Explained

Walter E. Headley (May 11, 1905November 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.

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".[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.[3] Following work as a riding instructor and sausage salesman, he joined the police in 1937.[4]

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

"When the looting starts, the shooting starts"

See 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] and stated "his men have been told that any force, up to and including death, is proper when apprehending a felon".[6] 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".[7] [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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: D'Angelo. Bob. Who was Walter Headley, whose 1967 'looting, shooting' phrase was used in Trump tweet?. April 23, 2021. KIRO 7 News Seattle. May 30, 2020 . en.
  2. Miami Report: The report of the Miami Study Team on civil disturbances in Miami, Florida during the week of August 5, 1968 . Hector, Louis J. . Helliwell, Paul L.E. . January 15, 1969 . . June 4, 2020.
  3. Book: Congress of the United States. Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the U.S. Congress. January 18, 1968. U.S. Government Printing Office. en. 312.
  4. Web site: D'Angelo. Bob. Desk. Cox Media Group National Content. Who was Walter Headley, whose 1967 'looting, shooting' phrase was used in Trump tweet?. April 24, 2021. WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta. May 30, 2020 . en.
  5. News: Miami's 'War' On Slum Crime Draws Protests . UPI . December 28, 1967 . San Bernardino Sun . June 3, 2020.
  6. News: Trump's tweet was flagged for 'glorifying violence'. A Miami police chief said it first . Howard . Cohen . May 29, 2020 . . May 31, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200530022901/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article243084721.html . May 30, 2020 . live .
  7. News: December 27, 1967. Words Fail; Miami Cops Get Tough with Negro Thugs. 1. Hazleton, Pennsylvania. 102. 28,451. Standard-Speaker. . May 29, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200601160543/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52372056/walter-everett-headley-1905-1968/. June 1, 2020. live.
  8. Web site: Did Trump and George Wallace Both Say, 'When the Looting Starts, the Shooting Starts'? . Dan . Evon . May 29, 2020 . Snopes.
  9. News: Florida Governor Backs Miami Police in Hoodlum Crackdown . UPI . December 28, 1967 . The Desert Sun . June 3, 2020.
  10. News: Big City Police Deciding to Be Tough on Rioters Next Summer . Hal . Cooper . December 30, 1967 . AP . San Bernardino Sun . June 3, 2020.
  11. News: November 17, 1968. Walter Headley of Miami Dies; Controversial Police Chief, 63; His Tough Law Enforcement Measures Had Angered Civil Rights Leaders. en-US. The New York Times. April 23, 2021. 0362-4331.
  12. News: November 17, 1968. Chief of Police in Miama, Walter Headley, Dies at 63. 27. The Tampa Tribune. April 23, 2021.
  13. Book: United States Congress House Select Committee on Crime. Crime in America--aspects of Organized Crime, Court Delay, and Juvenile Justice: Hearings, Ninety-first Congress, First Session, Pursuant to H. Res. 17 .... 1970. U.S. Government Printing Office. en.

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