These six volumes together form a roster of the employees of the New Orleans Police Department from its beginnings in 1882 through the year 1946. It appears that NOPD officials from time to time ordered that information about active employees from the current book be copied into a new book. There is, therefore, considerable overlap in names and information from one volume to the next.

The rosters include all or part of the following information:

Name Age Height Complexion Nationality Occupation (before joining the Department) Marital Status Grade (within the Department) Date Appointed and Assigned Date(s) of Transfer(s) Date(s) of Promotion or Reduction Date of death, resignation, or dismissal Cause

The first three volumes are headed "Alphabetical Force Book." Volume 1 appears to have been copied from an earlier book in 1908; it includes data for the period ca. 1889-1914. Volume 2 includes data for the period ca. 1882-1896; it may be the original volume from which volume 1 was copied. Volume 3 covers the period ca. 1889-1929; it was copied, probably from volume 1, in 1915. Volume 4 includes data for the period ca. 1906-1946, letters "A"-"L" only; it appears to have been copied, probably from volu me 3, in 1932. Volume 6 appears to be the "M"-"Z" counterpart of volume 4. Volume 5 may have been copied from volume 6 (it covers "M"-"Z" only) in ca. 1942., but it has no data beyond the year 1946. The "A"-"L" counterpart of volume 5 is not among the records in the Cit y Archives.