Derastus Clapp

Derastus Clapp (May 1, 1792 – June 1, 1881) was head of the first city detective bureau in the United States, located in Boston, Massachusetts. He was appointed to the office of constable by the elderly Mayor Josiah Quincy in 1828, and was reappointed every succeeding year to 1874. In 1848, he was promoted to be one of the first detectives in the city. Clapp is most noted for his role in the arrest and prosecution of John White Webster for the murder of George Parkman.

Clapp was born in Claremont, New Hampshire, but soon moved to Boston, after his marriage to Susannah Bowditch of Braintree, Massachusetts on February 15, 1818. He established an auction house, over which he presided for several years before he was appointed to the office of constable for the City of Boston in 1828. In 1832 and 1836, he was also captain of a ward militia company. According to an interview in the Boston Traveller on October 26, 1874, Clapp stated that "136 prisoners arrested by him were sent to the State Prison, and several hundred to the House of Correction, and that many thousand dollars worth of stolen property have been recovered by him and restored to its owners." He gained renown during his tenure as constable as "a successful detecter [sic] of crime" whose name would conjure "dread...among those who had reason to fear an arrest." There were reports that he would instill fear in the guilty without even approaching them. In 1850, most of the dread was harbored by school-aged children, as he was also an appointed truant officer. He and his assistant literally carried hundreds of children from all parts of the city back to the public school system.

In 1849, Clapp caught his "big break". A prestigious member of the Boston Brahmins was reported missing. Clapp's role in the investigation of the disappearance of Dr. George Parkman propelled him into international fame. His fame was short-lived, however, and in 1854, Boston established its first uniformed police force, with Constable Clapp as its less prominent member. His sole concern was ticketing illegally parked traffic on State Street and serving orders of notice issued by the City Clerk. In January 1874, a muscle tear in his right leg disabled him, but he continued his duties until October of that year. He retired on October 1, 1874 after 46 years of service.

...
Wikipedia