BG ARTHUR F. BRANDSTATTER (Ret.)
December,
1914 - May 22, 2004
From East Lansing, Michigan
CAREER BIOGRAPHY OF ARTHUR F. BRANDSTATTER
From The School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University
(http://www.cj.msu.edu/~history/scrap/abcareer.pdf)
Arthur
Brandstatter has devoted his life and career to the professionalization
of the police. Beginning with his enrollment in one of the first
programs offering education in policing, he continued this education as
a police officer in Detroit, served in various positions in the
military, provided assistance to police agencies around the world,
chaired the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University,
and directed the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. He was born
in December, 1914 in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania and moved with his
family at a young age to Ecorse, Michigan - a small town down-river
from Detroit. After graduating from High School in Ecorse in 1933, he
enrolled at Michigan State.
During his sophomore year an undergraduate program in Police Administration was developed, marking a revolutionary step in the professionalization of police services, and at this time he transferred into the new program. The Police Administration Program, then a 5 year program offering 1 ½ years of practical training.
The program entailed training in an academic setting at Michigan State, followed by more practical training in specific police departments - he did a 6 month stint with the Detroit Police, 6 months with the State Police, and the final 6 months with various other agencies, such as the General Motors security division and local sheriff's departments.
In 1938, after completing coursework on campus, he began his 6 month tour with the Detroit Police Department. Brandstatter was one of three in the first graduating class from Michigan State College in Police Administration, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Police Administration in 1938.
Upon graduation, he became a sworn officer in the Detroit Police Department. As only one of a handful of officers at the time with a college education, others on the force referred to him as the "college cop." From these roots, Brandstatter would later spend a considerable part of his career making college educated officers less of a novelty and more of a standard in departments across the country.
Brandstatter later commented that he felt having been a police officer gave him cre dentials and enabled him to obtain the cooperation of his men as a police administrator. He was a police officer with the City of Detroit for three years, walking a beat, and during this time he became convinced that arrest and detention were only a part of police responsibility and that service and assistance were equally important and represented a major function of the police service. While he had been educated about laws and arrests, he soon realized the importance of such things as crime prevention, service, and developing reciprocal relationships with the people you serve. As an officer, he recognized the importance of cultivating working relationships with residents on his beat. In his own words, Brandstatter states that: "Without realizing it at the time, I was virtually re-defining the role of a beat police officer. The system rewarded those who wrote traffic violation tickets, made arrests, caught burglars, and arrested prostitutes, all of which were necessary activities, of course. However, ignored were probably the most important aspects of police work, namely, the contacts and positive relationships with the public that established the goodwill and respect so necessary, what we currently know as community relations is the prevention of crime."
One situation which illustrates these working relationships Brandstatter has described, involved getting to know and working with juveniles in the area who had hitherto been cause for concern by the police and the community at large. These kids had been causing all sorts of problems by destroying property, vandalizing buildings, stealing cars, disrupting school events, and generally by being a nuisance to the entire community. He went to work developing a positive relationship with these juveniles, going so far as helping find jobs for some of them.
The familiarity on both sides was such that after an incident in which items were stolen from Brandstatter's automobile, he went to one of the boys and asked that his things be returned. He said he would be back in a few minutes to pick them up, and while the young man he contacted denied any knowledge of the theft, nevertheless, the stolen items were returned.
Brandstatter's relationship with the people in the area was such that upon hearing of his transfer to another precinct, a delegation of parents tried, to no avail, to stop his transfer.
Brandstatter notes another important relationship with a citizen that developed after his transfer. During the mornings of his shift, he would work a school crossing. Afterwards, he would stop in a small convenience store and read the Detroit Free Press to the elderly immigrant owner. Thus a friendship developed with the man who would often provide him with information as to activities in the neighborhood. Brandstatter would meet the man daily after his school crossing duties, before he went to 'walk the beat' and 'pull the boxes.'
Brandstatter left the Detroit Police Department in February, 1941 when he was ordered to report to Scott Air Force Base as a Reserve Officer, having been commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the R.O.T.C. program at Michigan State.
When an inspection of the Base by the Inspector General of the Army gave the Provost Marshall's office a very poor rating, Lt. Brandstatter was reassigned from Personnel and became the Base Provost Marshall, a position comparable to a Chief of Police.
During his active duty military career, Brandstatter completed programs at Military Intelligence School, Army War College, Military Government School, and Civil Affairs Training Program at Northwestern University. At Northwestern, he spent six days a week for six months learning to speak the Japanese language, in addition to completing other courses.
In 1945, he was part of the first team of the occupation forces sent into South Korea from Okinawa where the initial planning for this occupation took place. In Korea, his assignment was to reestablish a National Law Enforcement Service throughout South Korea and to replace all Japanese personnel.
In February 1946, Lt. Col. Brandstatter returned to Michigan and assumed the duties of Chief of Police of the City of East Lansing and was also responsible for the campus of Michigan State University. In September 1946, he accepted an Associate Professorship in the Department of Police Administration at Michigan State and taught courses in Criminal Law, Evidence, Administration, and Organization.
At the direction of the President of the University, Dr. John Hannah, a study was initiated which resulted in the separation of the College Department of Public Safety and the City of East Lansing Police Department. Subsequently, Brandstatter was put in charge of the College Department of Public Safety in addition to his responsibilities as Chairman of the Department of Police Administration. This dual responsibility lasted 13 years.
Brandstatter has described this position as providing him with a new and different approach to police work. He has also recounted occasions when he questioned his judgement regarding the experiment with the campus police. During the 50th Jubilee Celebration of the School of Criminal Justice, Brandstatter reflected on his experiences with the campus police, describing one unusual experience: "Upon arrival at the police department
one morning, I learned that during the early morning hours someone reported that a calf was loose and wandering around the main campus, whereupon the officer on desk duty dispatched a motor patrol unit to find the calf. In due time the calf was found and the officer asked, by radio, what to do with it. The response was to bring the animal to the station. Since the method of transportation was not discussed, the officer tied the calf to the rear of the patrol car and led it to the station. In the process the calf was dragged a portion of the way and the tendons in all four legs were severely damaged and the calf had to be destroyed. This was bad enough, but it turned out that the calf was the product of careful breeding, came from pedigreed stock, and was a very valuable animal. I spent the next several weeks apologizing to the Animal Husbandry Department and its chairman."
Brandstatter noted that during his time as an officer, as Chief of Police for East Lansing, and as head of the Department of Public Safety at Michigan State, he recognized an important component of police work - that the police work for the public; the citizens employ the police. He recognized the importance of cooperation between the police and the public, especially in terms of exchange of information. He recognized that having relationships with the public, such as those he had as an officer with the Detroit Police Department, that allow officers to gather information from citizens without having to pry or threaten, is an important and often overlooked component of
police work. One incident highlighting how cooperation between the police and the public is essential for solving problems happened during his tenure with the campus police.
A series of underground tunnels across campus had been used to break into buildings to steal chemicals - chemicals which were later used to make bombs. These bombs were then detonated on campus. The campus police were actively searching for the suspect, with no success, until a tip was received from the father of a University student. The father had found some chemicals and other materials in his son's room and suspected that he might be involved in some questionable activities.
The father reported this to the campus police and they received permission from the father to search his son's room where they found evidence of the son's involvement in the bombings. Instead of pursuing an arrest and conviction, Brandstatter worked with the father of the suspect to arrange for psychiatric counseling.
Brandstatter notes that the student did receive counseling and had no further problems with the police.
Although being in charge of the University's police was a full time job in and of itself, Brandstatter was at the same time in charge of the School of Police Administration. The academic program that he joined was designed, in general, to prepare students for management and administrative positions in the law enforcement field. The program was developed with a liberal arts foundation - enabling students to relate the principles and philosophies of their knowledge with new insights regarding their special field of interest. It was designed to help graduates enter their field of interest with new ideas, the ability to question, to probe, and to communicate.
The school's principal objective under Brandstatter was to prepare graduates for management and administrative positions in the law enforcement field. He believed that it was the university's responsibility to add to the academic arena by developing new knowledge through meaningful research. One unique study, which he has described, involved a project initiated by Ralph Turner of the department, involving a research effort regarding the various tests used to determine levels of intoxication.
Again, from his address to the School of Criminal Justice, on its 50th Jubilee Celebration: "My good and dear friend, Walter Noack, Director of Enforcement for the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, assisted in this project by making certain we received 100 proof Kentucky bourbon whiskey distilled from one batch of the same ingredients. Since the research Turner proposed was designed to get people intoxicated, it was brought to the attention of President Hannah for approval. I recall being summoned to his office to explain the purpose of the research, and finally gave him my personal assurance that we would not embarrass the university. Therefore,
when those who participated in the project were escorted home in the late evening hours and remanded into the custody of their wives, there were a few persons who occasionally got away from the sanctuary of their homes to continue their social activities. As a result, Turner and I prowled the streets and pubs looking for stray participants, most of whom were faculty or townspeople who had volunteered for the project."
This was novel research at the time, which provided unique roles for the researchers and insight into the effects of intoxicants. The information gathered was used by the National Safety Council and changed national policies regarding drunk driving. This particular experiment aroused interest from other departments across the university, specifically, other units involved in the behavioral sciences. Brandstatter believed in collaboration between the institutions of higher education and law enforcement agencies. He felt that law enforcement agencies should approach academic institutions for assistance and insight into issues. He stated that "as social institutions concerned with complex social problems, police departments need assistance in research, training and education."
One issue which he focused on while heading the department was the acceptance of police education as legitimate in the academic arena. Programs designed around the agencies of the criminal justice system, were, at this time, rare. Brandstatter recognized and promoted the study of crime and response to crime, noting that "the increasingly complex problem of dealing with crime in a pluralistic society requires serious scholarly attention."
During changes in the School of Criminal Justice, formerly known and solely focused on Police Administration, Brandstatter worked toward the acceptance of the police sciences and the study of the criminal justice system. He noted that as director of the school, he sought to bring in faculty with respected academic credentials. He also noted that the school performed valuable research that influenced national policy and interested other academicians. In addition, Brandstatter established relations with other academic departments such as Psychology and Sociology.
The scholarly attention to deal with and respond to crime is one reason noted by Brandstatter for the establishment of the National Center on Police and Community Relations. He speculated that the results of research by the Center would suggest new police roles involving more sophisticated crime prevention techniques and perhaps new concepts of internal organization of police agencies and deployment of personnel.
He stated that, "if police education is to achieve the stature it seeks in the academic community, it must be considered as a part of the criminal justice process which has its own area of human experience to analyze, its own body of factual and descriptive data to gather, [and] its own conceptual ideas to formulate and test." Brandstatter noted that the challenge is to develop police education within this context. He maintained his commitment and passion for the role universities could assume in preparing well-trained and highly educated police personnel and
also the collaborative efforts that departments and universities could have.
In addition to his efforts toward the acceptance of policing in academic circles, Brandstatter also faced resistance of academia being introduced into police circles. He strongly pushed for academics to be a part of police officer training. In the early 1960's, he was pleased to observe that the previously held notion that formal education has little to do with police work was gradually dissipating. He believed in and worked towards better educated officers, which he felt would be necessary for the continuing war on crime. For Brandstatter, education was believed to be one of the many tools officers would need to better be able to perform their increasingly diverse duties. He sought a proper balance regarding police officer preparation, between textbook instruction and proper training.
Brandstatter noted the roles of police officers in a 1962 article in Police and interestingly, posits many of the tenets of what is termed today, 'community policing.' He states that "the police can play a significant role in creating a local climate in which social order prevails" and that, "the community must participate actively, if law and order are to be preserved as a way of life."
He comments on the possibility of recapturing a sense of community that was enjoyed in the early history of American police service. He also notes that "the high incidence of crime in the U.S. is an indictment of our society, not of the police, and can only be resolved by fixing a share of the responsibility with the community and seeking assistance in the resolution of the crime problem." These sentiments are commonly accepted today as integral in the role of the police under a community policing philosophy - a philosophy which is increasingly being adopted by departments across the United States and encouraged by the federal government.
With the education of police officers, Brandstatter was advocating the professionalization of the police force. He repeatedly encouraged departments to increase the educational requirements of their officers, believing that with more education, officers were better able to identify and respond to crime. With more educated officers and management, he noted that the generation and flow of information will increase throughout the department. In addition, he noted that with increasingly educated officers, one side benefit would be the decrease of police corruption and scandals.
Brandstatter stated that uneducated officers were at the mercy of the department; that they were essentially, 'captives of the system.' On the other hand, officers with an education have the ability to move from one department to another, or from local to federal agencies, or the business world, thus not getting trapped in a system that may be corrupt.
He often noted the need for imaginative police officers, stating in the early 1960's that officers in the future would need to use more imaginative techniques in carrying out their tasks. More imaginative and creative officers could be cultivated, according to Brandstatter, with more and continuing education and training of officers. He stressed not only training for new officers, being recruited into departments, but also continual training of officers throughout their career in the department. He once stated that "we can no longer train a person when he or she enters the department and then forget about that person for 25 years." The importance of educated and trained officers according to Brandstatter was paramount. He often noted the unique role that police play in our society: having the power to deprive citizens of their freedom and noting that officers alone have the summary right to take life in certain situations.
This important characteristic of policing, emphasizing the power that officers hold, warranted higher standards of education and training than were required at the time. One comparison which drove home the low levels of training which officers received was noted when he observed that, at the time, in the State of Michigan, beauticians and barbers required more training than police officers.
Brandstatter noted the role of police officers and the need for well educated, trained officers, when he stated that police officers must identify and locate the causes of behavior, crime, and criminals and then must encourage the people to support the function of law. He acknowledged the role of the community and the partnership that officers should have with community residents.
He stated that a department must have the concerted help of the community to be able to successfully combat crime. He called upon individuals as well as businesses to think of ways that they could help the police. A facet of professionalizing the police involved improving the image that the police had. Brandstatter noted a steady loss of respect for law enforcement beginning in the 1920's, stating that, "the once friendly, personal relationship of the police patrol in the community is today lost or obscure, and contact currently made is usually the result of a complaint" (Michigan State News, May 25, 1968).
Brandstatter felt that an improved image of police would help to form the partnerships with the public which he described as essential to combat crime. The loss of personal contact with the public when police replaced foot patrol with motor patrol must be resolved. Although educated and serving as a law enforcement officer in the United States, Brandstatter has impacted police organizations internationally. After serving in World War II, he worked in occupied Germany as a State Department consultant to review, evaluate, and reestablish that nation's police system. His involvement entailed a 90-day project as a 'visiting expert' on police administration. The program was designed primarily to indoctrinate German officials with the operation of police systems in a democracy and also to provide American police administrators with an understanding of the practices and problems of the police in Germany.
He served as a military government officer during the early stages of the occupation of South Korea and was assigned to public safety and under the direction of the 24th Corps Headquarters of the U.S. Army. Brandstatter was part of a team responsible for reorganizing the police forces of South Korea, re-establishing police communications, and developing a training program for newly employed police officers who were to undergo an intensive one week "crash" police training program. The program was designed to graduate about 200 police recruits a week to staff the rapidly expanding South Korean police service. For this he received a citation from the South Korean Government. Brandstatter later used the contacts he had made while serving in Korea to establish relations between the School of Criminal Justice and Korean police agencies.
Brandstatter was also involved in a project developed between MSU and Vietnam in 1954. Soon after Vietnam's independence, the Vietnamese government requested American assistance in organizing its government and public administration programs.
At the request of the United States State Department, in an effort to help rebuild Vietnamese society, technical assistance was provided by the University in the areas of public administration, public information, finance and economics, and law enforcement. Brandstatter was a part of a team sent to Vietnam that assessed its situation, drew up proposals, then set up a team of experts to help with the implementation. Aid was requested to help combat the communist threat to take over South Vietnam. Brandstatter described the state of South Vietnam, stating, "we never found worse conditions. The country is sold out to gangster hoodlums" (1955).
Years later, controversy surrounded this project when allegations of C.I.A. infiltration into the project and charges
of espionage arose. In response to the allegations and to MSU and US involvement, Brandstatter told the University's newspaper, "I have no apologies. It is a dead issue. There was no one else to provide this technical service."
As head of the department of police administration, his efforts to improve police agencies world-wide continued. The department was host to students from around the world who attended classes and conferences at Michigan State to gain insight into the American system of policing. Dr. Dae Chang, in 1999 and 2000, a visiting professor at MSU SCJ, and Professor Emiritus at Wichita State University, formerly of the Korean National Police described his visit in late 1953 to Michigan State and the assistance that Brandstatter provided. Brandstatter initiated
tours of police training facilities and arranged for observations of local police departments.
He also allowed the visiting officers to attend any of the classes that were in session. Dr. Chang described Brandstatter as "genuinely interested in disseminating information about American police."
Brandstatter, continuing his own formal education, received a Master of Science degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Michigan State University in 1950. He also continued his military service. After filling various positions in World War II, he remained in the Army Reserve from 1946 until 1974, retiring with the rank of Brigadier General.
From 1963 to 1969, he was the commander of the 300th Military Police Prisoner of War Command with administrative responsibility for 24 military police units located in 7 states in the 5th Army area. This unit was designed to handle the administration and guard of prisoners of war if the United States military was mobilized.
In 1963, he graduated from Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon retiring from MSU, Brandstatter was informed of the search for a director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (F.L.E.T.C.). The Center was a central basic training facility for all Federal Law Enforcement officers (except the F.B.I.). He applied for the position and was selected to be the director of the Center, in Glynco, Georgia. He filled this position from July 1976 until 1982.
During his time at the training center, the center doubled the number of participating organizations and completed a major construction program to provide state-of-the-art law enforcement training facilities. In 1982, he began a new assignment, serving as principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. In this position, he continued his mission to professionalize the police by aiding in the development of specialized training programs for state and local law enforcement at F.L.E.T.C.
Throughout his career, Brandstatter has received numerous awards and recognitions for his collegiate athletic career, his work in the field of policing, and his service to the military. In 1961, he was named a Silver Anniversary All-American by Sports Illustrated; he was the first MSU 'Spartan' to receive this honor. Sports Illustrated noted his achievements on and off the football field and he was honored with 24 other recipients by Sports Illustrated at a reception featuring President Kennedy as the guest speaker, whom the award recipients met.
In 1975, Brandstatter served as an official U.S. delegate to the Fifth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders held in Geneva, Switzerland and addresses the Congress. In 1977, Brandstatter received the Enforcement Award from the Association of Federal Investigators. This award was presented to him "in recognition of his outstanding contributions and accomplishments as a leader in the law enforcement and investigative fields."
Brandstatter also received the Legion of Merit, the nation's second highest peacetime award. He received this award in 1969 for his work with the 300th Military Police Prisoner of War Command. He was recognized for his 31 years of service to the military and his "dynamic leadership dedicated to the training of a highly specialized military unit capable of performing its Prisoner of War mission upon mobilization." The award also notes that he created a library of reference material for consultative purposes by military prisoner of war-type units and the Department of Army agencies. In addition, the award recognized Brandstatter for conceptualizing a mission-oriented training program for the military police, prisoner of war units to ensure mobilization readiness.
In 1985, Brandstatter received the Michigan State University Alumni Service Award In 1990, Brandstatter became the 5th recipient of the Michigan State Univeristy, "Breslin Life Achievement Award." Quoting from the plaque of the award, "presented annually to a Spartan varsity alumnus whose distinguished post-college career has brought great honor to himself and by reflection to Michigan State University and its intercollegiate sports program." The award recognized him for his career in law enforcement, in criminal justice education, and his military career.
In 1998, Brandstatter was inducted into MSU Military Science Hall of Fame. Today, the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University honors Professor Emeritus Arthur F. Brandstatter and his contributions with an endowment set up in his name. This endowment exists to benefit graduate students through both assistantships and scholarships.
Mr. Brandstatter currently resides in East Lansing, Michigan with his wife, Mary. Their five sons, Art Jr., John, Bob, Michael, and Jim, live throughout the country. Art has 12 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
During his sophomore year an undergraduate program in Police Administration was developed, marking a revolutionary step in the professionalization of police services, and at this time he transferred into the new program. The Police Administration Program, then a 5 year program offering 1 ½ years of practical training.
The program entailed training in an academic setting at Michigan State, followed by more practical training in specific police departments - he did a 6 month stint with the Detroit Police, 6 months with the State Police, and the final 6 months with various other agencies, such as the General Motors security division and local sheriff's departments.
In 1938, after completing coursework on campus, he began his 6 month tour with the Detroit Police Department. Brandstatter was one of three in the first graduating class from Michigan State College in Police Administration, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Police Administration in 1938.
Upon graduation, he became a sworn officer in the Detroit Police Department. As only one of a handful of officers at the time with a college education, others on the force referred to him as the "college cop." From these roots, Brandstatter would later spend a considerable part of his career making college educated officers less of a novelty and more of a standard in departments across the country.
Brandstatter later commented that he felt having been a police officer gave him cre dentials and enabled him to obtain the cooperation of his men as a police administrator. He was a police officer with the City of Detroit for three years, walking a beat, and during this time he became convinced that arrest and detention were only a part of police responsibility and that service and assistance were equally important and represented a major function of the police service. While he had been educated about laws and arrests, he soon realized the importance of such things as crime prevention, service, and developing reciprocal relationships with the people you serve. As an officer, he recognized the importance of cultivating working relationships with residents on his beat. In his own words, Brandstatter states that: "Without realizing it at the time, I was virtually re-defining the role of a beat police officer. The system rewarded those who wrote traffic violation tickets, made arrests, caught burglars, and arrested prostitutes, all of which were necessary activities, of course. However, ignored were probably the most important aspects of police work, namely, the contacts and positive relationships with the public that established the goodwill and respect so necessary, what we currently know as community relations is the prevention of crime."
One situation which illustrates these working relationships Brandstatter has described, involved getting to know and working with juveniles in the area who had hitherto been cause for concern by the police and the community at large. These kids had been causing all sorts of problems by destroying property, vandalizing buildings, stealing cars, disrupting school events, and generally by being a nuisance to the entire community. He went to work developing a positive relationship with these juveniles, going so far as helping find jobs for some of them.
The familiarity on both sides was such that after an incident in which items were stolen from Brandstatter's automobile, he went to one of the boys and asked that his things be returned. He said he would be back in a few minutes to pick them up, and while the young man he contacted denied any knowledge of the theft, nevertheless, the stolen items were returned.
Brandstatter's relationship with the people in the area was such that upon hearing of his transfer to another precinct, a delegation of parents tried, to no avail, to stop his transfer.
Brandstatter notes another important relationship with a citizen that developed after his transfer. During the mornings of his shift, he would work a school crossing. Afterwards, he would stop in a small convenience store and read the Detroit Free Press to the elderly immigrant owner. Thus a friendship developed with the man who would often provide him with information as to activities in the neighborhood. Brandstatter would meet the man daily after his school crossing duties, before he went to 'walk the beat' and 'pull the boxes.'
Brandstatter left the Detroit Police Department in February, 1941 when he was ordered to report to Scott Air Force Base as a Reserve Officer, having been commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the R.O.T.C. program at Michigan State.
When an inspection of the Base by the Inspector General of the Army gave the Provost Marshall's office a very poor rating, Lt. Brandstatter was reassigned from Personnel and became the Base Provost Marshall, a position comparable to a Chief of Police.
During his active duty military career, Brandstatter completed programs at Military Intelligence School, Army War College, Military Government School, and Civil Affairs Training Program at Northwestern University. At Northwestern, he spent six days a week for six months learning to speak the Japanese language, in addition to completing other courses.
In 1945, he was part of the first team of the occupation forces sent into South Korea from Okinawa where the initial planning for this occupation took place. In Korea, his assignment was to reestablish a National Law Enforcement Service throughout South Korea and to replace all Japanese personnel.
In February 1946, Lt. Col. Brandstatter returned to Michigan and assumed the duties of Chief of Police of the City of East Lansing and was also responsible for the campus of Michigan State University. In September 1946, he accepted an Associate Professorship in the Department of Police Administration at Michigan State and taught courses in Criminal Law, Evidence, Administration, and Organization.
At the direction of the President of the University, Dr. John Hannah, a study was initiated which resulted in the separation of the College Department of Public Safety and the City of East Lansing Police Department. Subsequently, Brandstatter was put in charge of the College Department of Public Safety in addition to his responsibilities as Chairman of the Department of Police Administration. This dual responsibility lasted 13 years.
Brandstatter has described this position as providing him with a new and different approach to police work. He has also recounted occasions when he questioned his judgement regarding the experiment with the campus police. During the 50th Jubilee Celebration of the School of Criminal Justice, Brandstatter reflected on his experiences with the campus police, describing one unusual experience: "Upon arrival at the police department
one morning, I learned that during the early morning hours someone reported that a calf was loose and wandering around the main campus, whereupon the officer on desk duty dispatched a motor patrol unit to find the calf. In due time the calf was found and the officer asked, by radio, what to do with it. The response was to bring the animal to the station. Since the method of transportation was not discussed, the officer tied the calf to the rear of the patrol car and led it to the station. In the process the calf was dragged a portion of the way and the tendons in all four legs were severely damaged and the calf had to be destroyed. This was bad enough, but it turned out that the calf was the product of careful breeding, came from pedigreed stock, and was a very valuable animal. I spent the next several weeks apologizing to the Animal Husbandry Department and its chairman."
Brandstatter noted that during his time as an officer, as Chief of Police for East Lansing, and as head of the Department of Public Safety at Michigan State, he recognized an important component of police work - that the police work for the public; the citizens employ the police. He recognized the importance of cooperation between the police and the public, especially in terms of exchange of information. He recognized that having relationships with the public, such as those he had as an officer with the Detroit Police Department, that allow officers to gather information from citizens without having to pry or threaten, is an important and often overlooked component of
police work. One incident highlighting how cooperation between the police and the public is essential for solving problems happened during his tenure with the campus police.
A series of underground tunnels across campus had been used to break into buildings to steal chemicals - chemicals which were later used to make bombs. These bombs were then detonated on campus. The campus police were actively searching for the suspect, with no success, until a tip was received from the father of a University student. The father had found some chemicals and other materials in his son's room and suspected that he might be involved in some questionable activities.
The father reported this to the campus police and they received permission from the father to search his son's room where they found evidence of the son's involvement in the bombings. Instead of pursuing an arrest and conviction, Brandstatter worked with the father of the suspect to arrange for psychiatric counseling.
Brandstatter notes that the student did receive counseling and had no further problems with the police.
Although being in charge of the University's police was a full time job in and of itself, Brandstatter was at the same time in charge of the School of Police Administration. The academic program that he joined was designed, in general, to prepare students for management and administrative positions in the law enforcement field. The program was developed with a liberal arts foundation - enabling students to relate the principles and philosophies of their knowledge with new insights regarding their special field of interest. It was designed to help graduates enter their field of interest with new ideas, the ability to question, to probe, and to communicate.
The school's principal objective under Brandstatter was to prepare graduates for management and administrative positions in the law enforcement field. He believed that it was the university's responsibility to add to the academic arena by developing new knowledge through meaningful research. One unique study, which he has described, involved a project initiated by Ralph Turner of the department, involving a research effort regarding the various tests used to determine levels of intoxication.
Again, from his address to the School of Criminal Justice, on its 50th Jubilee Celebration: "My good and dear friend, Walter Noack, Director of Enforcement for the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, assisted in this project by making certain we received 100 proof Kentucky bourbon whiskey distilled from one batch of the same ingredients. Since the research Turner proposed was designed to get people intoxicated, it was brought to the attention of President Hannah for approval. I recall being summoned to his office to explain the purpose of the research, and finally gave him my personal assurance that we would not embarrass the university. Therefore,
when those who participated in the project were escorted home in the late evening hours and remanded into the custody of their wives, there were a few persons who occasionally got away from the sanctuary of their homes to continue their social activities. As a result, Turner and I prowled the streets and pubs looking for stray participants, most of whom were faculty or townspeople who had volunteered for the project."
This was novel research at the time, which provided unique roles for the researchers and insight into the effects of intoxicants. The information gathered was used by the National Safety Council and changed national policies regarding drunk driving. This particular experiment aroused interest from other departments across the university, specifically, other units involved in the behavioral sciences. Brandstatter believed in collaboration between the institutions of higher education and law enforcement agencies. He felt that law enforcement agencies should approach academic institutions for assistance and insight into issues. He stated that "as social institutions concerned with complex social problems, police departments need assistance in research, training and education."
One issue which he focused on while heading the department was the acceptance of police education as legitimate in the academic arena. Programs designed around the agencies of the criminal justice system, were, at this time, rare. Brandstatter recognized and promoted the study of crime and response to crime, noting that "the increasingly complex problem of dealing with crime in a pluralistic society requires serious scholarly attention."
During changes in the School of Criminal Justice, formerly known and solely focused on Police Administration, Brandstatter worked toward the acceptance of the police sciences and the study of the criminal justice system. He noted that as director of the school, he sought to bring in faculty with respected academic credentials. He also noted that the school performed valuable research that influenced national policy and interested other academicians. In addition, Brandstatter established relations with other academic departments such as Psychology and Sociology.
The scholarly attention to deal with and respond to crime is one reason noted by Brandstatter for the establishment of the National Center on Police and Community Relations. He speculated that the results of research by the Center would suggest new police roles involving more sophisticated crime prevention techniques and perhaps new concepts of internal organization of police agencies and deployment of personnel.
He stated that, "if police education is to achieve the stature it seeks in the academic community, it must be considered as a part of the criminal justice process which has its own area of human experience to analyze, its own body of factual and descriptive data to gather, [and] its own conceptual ideas to formulate and test." Brandstatter noted that the challenge is to develop police education within this context. He maintained his commitment and passion for the role universities could assume in preparing well-trained and highly educated police personnel and
also the collaborative efforts that departments and universities could have.
In addition to his efforts toward the acceptance of policing in academic circles, Brandstatter also faced resistance of academia being introduced into police circles. He strongly pushed for academics to be a part of police officer training. In the early 1960's, he was pleased to observe that the previously held notion that formal education has little to do with police work was gradually dissipating. He believed in and worked towards better educated officers, which he felt would be necessary for the continuing war on crime. For Brandstatter, education was believed to be one of the many tools officers would need to better be able to perform their increasingly diverse duties. He sought a proper balance regarding police officer preparation, between textbook instruction and proper training.
Brandstatter noted the roles of police officers in a 1962 article in Police and interestingly, posits many of the tenets of what is termed today, 'community policing.' He states that "the police can play a significant role in creating a local climate in which social order prevails" and that, "the community must participate actively, if law and order are to be preserved as a way of life."
He comments on the possibility of recapturing a sense of community that was enjoyed in the early history of American police service. He also notes that "the high incidence of crime in the U.S. is an indictment of our society, not of the police, and can only be resolved by fixing a share of the responsibility with the community and seeking assistance in the resolution of the crime problem." These sentiments are commonly accepted today as integral in the role of the police under a community policing philosophy - a philosophy which is increasingly being adopted by departments across the United States and encouraged by the federal government.
With the education of police officers, Brandstatter was advocating the professionalization of the police force. He repeatedly encouraged departments to increase the educational requirements of their officers, believing that with more education, officers were better able to identify and respond to crime. With more educated officers and management, he noted that the generation and flow of information will increase throughout the department. In addition, he noted that with increasingly educated officers, one side benefit would be the decrease of police corruption and scandals.
Brandstatter stated that uneducated officers were at the mercy of the department; that they were essentially, 'captives of the system.' On the other hand, officers with an education have the ability to move from one department to another, or from local to federal agencies, or the business world, thus not getting trapped in a system that may be corrupt.
He often noted the need for imaginative police officers, stating in the early 1960's that officers in the future would need to use more imaginative techniques in carrying out their tasks. More imaginative and creative officers could be cultivated, according to Brandstatter, with more and continuing education and training of officers. He stressed not only training for new officers, being recruited into departments, but also continual training of officers throughout their career in the department. He once stated that "we can no longer train a person when he or she enters the department and then forget about that person for 25 years." The importance of educated and trained officers according to Brandstatter was paramount. He often noted the unique role that police play in our society: having the power to deprive citizens of their freedom and noting that officers alone have the summary right to take life in certain situations.
This important characteristic of policing, emphasizing the power that officers hold, warranted higher standards of education and training than were required at the time. One comparison which drove home the low levels of training which officers received was noted when he observed that, at the time, in the State of Michigan, beauticians and barbers required more training than police officers.
Brandstatter noted the role of police officers and the need for well educated, trained officers, when he stated that police officers must identify and locate the causes of behavior, crime, and criminals and then must encourage the people to support the function of law. He acknowledged the role of the community and the partnership that officers should have with community residents.
He stated that a department must have the concerted help of the community to be able to successfully combat crime. He called upon individuals as well as businesses to think of ways that they could help the police. A facet of professionalizing the police involved improving the image that the police had. Brandstatter noted a steady loss of respect for law enforcement beginning in the 1920's, stating that, "the once friendly, personal relationship of the police patrol in the community is today lost or obscure, and contact currently made is usually the result of a complaint" (Michigan State News, May 25, 1968).
Brandstatter felt that an improved image of police would help to form the partnerships with the public which he described as essential to combat crime. The loss of personal contact with the public when police replaced foot patrol with motor patrol must be resolved. Although educated and serving as a law enforcement officer in the United States, Brandstatter has impacted police organizations internationally. After serving in World War II, he worked in occupied Germany as a State Department consultant to review, evaluate, and reestablish that nation's police system. His involvement entailed a 90-day project as a 'visiting expert' on police administration. The program was designed primarily to indoctrinate German officials with the operation of police systems in a democracy and also to provide American police administrators with an understanding of the practices and problems of the police in Germany.
He served as a military government officer during the early stages of the occupation of South Korea and was assigned to public safety and under the direction of the 24th Corps Headquarters of the U.S. Army. Brandstatter was part of a team responsible for reorganizing the police forces of South Korea, re-establishing police communications, and developing a training program for newly employed police officers who were to undergo an intensive one week "crash" police training program. The program was designed to graduate about 200 police recruits a week to staff the rapidly expanding South Korean police service. For this he received a citation from the South Korean Government. Brandstatter later used the contacts he had made while serving in Korea to establish relations between the School of Criminal Justice and Korean police agencies.
Brandstatter was also involved in a project developed between MSU and Vietnam in 1954. Soon after Vietnam's independence, the Vietnamese government requested American assistance in organizing its government and public administration programs.
At the request of the United States State Department, in an effort to help rebuild Vietnamese society, technical assistance was provided by the University in the areas of public administration, public information, finance and economics, and law enforcement. Brandstatter was a part of a team sent to Vietnam that assessed its situation, drew up proposals, then set up a team of experts to help with the implementation. Aid was requested to help combat the communist threat to take over South Vietnam. Brandstatter described the state of South Vietnam, stating, "we never found worse conditions. The country is sold out to gangster hoodlums" (1955).
Years later, controversy surrounded this project when allegations of C.I.A. infiltration into the project and charges
of espionage arose. In response to the allegations and to MSU and US involvement, Brandstatter told the University's newspaper, "I have no apologies. It is a dead issue. There was no one else to provide this technical service."
As head of the department of police administration, his efforts to improve police agencies world-wide continued. The department was host to students from around the world who attended classes and conferences at Michigan State to gain insight into the American system of policing. Dr. Dae Chang, in 1999 and 2000, a visiting professor at MSU SCJ, and Professor Emiritus at Wichita State University, formerly of the Korean National Police described his visit in late 1953 to Michigan State and the assistance that Brandstatter provided. Brandstatter initiated
tours of police training facilities and arranged for observations of local police departments.
He also allowed the visiting officers to attend any of the classes that were in session. Dr. Chang described Brandstatter as "genuinely interested in disseminating information about American police."
Brandstatter, continuing his own formal education, received a Master of Science degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Michigan State University in 1950. He also continued his military service. After filling various positions in World War II, he remained in the Army Reserve from 1946 until 1974, retiring with the rank of Brigadier General.
From 1963 to 1969, he was the commander of the 300th Military Police Prisoner of War Command with administrative responsibility for 24 military police units located in 7 states in the 5th Army area. This unit was designed to handle the administration and guard of prisoners of war if the United States military was mobilized.
In 1963, he graduated from Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon retiring from MSU, Brandstatter was informed of the search for a director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (F.L.E.T.C.). The Center was a central basic training facility for all Federal Law Enforcement officers (except the F.B.I.). He applied for the position and was selected to be the director of the Center, in Glynco, Georgia. He filled this position from July 1976 until 1982.
During his time at the training center, the center doubled the number of participating organizations and completed a major construction program to provide state-of-the-art law enforcement training facilities. In 1982, he began a new assignment, serving as principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. In this position, he continued his mission to professionalize the police by aiding in the development of specialized training programs for state and local law enforcement at F.L.E.T.C.
Throughout his career, Brandstatter has received numerous awards and recognitions for his collegiate athletic career, his work in the field of policing, and his service to the military. In 1961, he was named a Silver Anniversary All-American by Sports Illustrated; he was the first MSU 'Spartan' to receive this honor. Sports Illustrated noted his achievements on and off the football field and he was honored with 24 other recipients by Sports Illustrated at a reception featuring President Kennedy as the guest speaker, whom the award recipients met.
In 1975, Brandstatter served as an official U.S. delegate to the Fifth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders held in Geneva, Switzerland and addresses the Congress. In 1977, Brandstatter received the Enforcement Award from the Association of Federal Investigators. This award was presented to him "in recognition of his outstanding contributions and accomplishments as a leader in the law enforcement and investigative fields."
Brandstatter also received the Legion of Merit, the nation's second highest peacetime award. He received this award in 1969 for his work with the 300th Military Police Prisoner of War Command. He was recognized for his 31 years of service to the military and his "dynamic leadership dedicated to the training of a highly specialized military unit capable of performing its Prisoner of War mission upon mobilization." The award also notes that he created a library of reference material for consultative purposes by military prisoner of war-type units and the Department of Army agencies. In addition, the award recognized Brandstatter for conceptualizing a mission-oriented training program for the military police, prisoner of war units to ensure mobilization readiness.
In 1985, Brandstatter received the Michigan State University Alumni Service Award In 1990, Brandstatter became the 5th recipient of the Michigan State Univeristy, "Breslin Life Achievement Award." Quoting from the plaque of the award, "presented annually to a Spartan varsity alumnus whose distinguished post-college career has brought great honor to himself and by reflection to Michigan State University and its intercollegiate sports program." The award recognized him for his career in law enforcement, in criminal justice education, and his military career.
In 1998, Brandstatter was inducted into MSU Military Science Hall of Fame. Today, the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University honors Professor Emeritus Arthur F. Brandstatter and his contributions with an endowment set up in his name. This endowment exists to benefit graduate students through both assistantships and scholarships.
Mr. Brandstatter currently resides in East Lansing, Michigan with his wife, Mary. Their five sons, Art Jr., John, Bob, Michael, and Jim, live throughout the country. Art has 12 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
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