1960s Timeline

Aug. 21, 1961 - In the first 6 months of this year, 1,171 New York City policemen were attacked while trying to make arrests. From July 1 through August 14, these assaults increased in incidence and viciousness. In that 45-day period, 133 policemen were injured - almost double the 69 hurt during the corresponding period in 1960. What the police cannot understand is why, when they corner three teenaged boys carrying loaded shotguns - as two patrolmen did on Aug. 14 in the Bron

Aug. 8, 1961 - In Brooklyn today, Kings County Judge Samuel S. Leibowitz (pictured) made good his threat to deal harshly with attackers of policemen. He sentenced Rafael Appelaniz, 21, to seven and a half to fifteen years in Sing Sing Prison, terming him "a thug and a wild animal." Appelaniz had pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree assault and carrying a dangerous weapon. Patrolman Daniel Scavone charged that on May 28, Appelaniz slashed him with a 15-inch bayonet while

July 31, 1961 - New York City Police Commissioner Michael J. Murphy today denounced recent attacks upon policemen. Mr. Murphy said 1,780 policemen, nearly five a day, had been assaulted while carrying out their duties in the last 12 months. The latest near-riot occurred Friday night in Harlem. Stones, garbage and bottles were hurled at policemen from the street and roofs as they sought to break up a disturbance on West 125th St. "All too often, what begins as an arrest for a