Biography of Allen Pinkerton

Biography of Allen Pinkerton

Allan Pinkerton who was thirty-five at the time worked as a deputy for Cook County Sheriff's Department in Chicago. Allan Pinkerton had been contracted through a federal government to look into many counterfeit and other crime activities that had been done. These crimes were on counterfeiting, a post office robbery, and there were special operations that were detective work.

I read an article from "North West Police Agency" (Bio True Story, 2008) that in 1855 a Midwestern Railroad representative got a hold of Allan Pinkerton and was offering him ten thousand dollars for his specialized service for him to organize a police unit that would protect the railroad. At this point of time the public law officials had a very difficult time for maintaining a safe and secure level of having order and quietness throughout the community because the crime rate was increasing. The public law enforcers failed when it came to protect and serve because of there negative attention and study for most police departments. This is when Allan Pinkerton got the ideas to create a private security business that could handle situations for the public law because previously they failed. This is how I understood by reading the article.

Allan Pinkerton opened a detective business called Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Allan Pinkerton contracted with a mixture of businesses and he then employed some individuals or he would group them together and had them work nights as a watchmen so these businesses would have protection. The group or individuals were known to be "Pinkerton Protective Patrol". This was the start for Allan Pinkerton security business. Allan Pinkerton's had a plan that he would be documenting any criminal plan was to document any criminal's wrongdoing, liabilities or any security issues that may occur and he would report these matters to the law enforcement as well as to the businesses (Profile on Allan Pinkerton, 2008).

Allan Pinkerton was investigating a plot for murder in 1861 that was going to be against Abraham Lincoln while attending an inaugural ceremony. Allan Pinkerton gave a warning to Abraham Lincoln and his workers about this threat and Abraham Lincoln went ahead and changed his schedule (Hoh, 2005).

The year of July of 1892, Allan Pinkerton agency was hired again for a Homestead which is a boat that they needed to take action for this strike. When Allan Pinkerton's team got to the shoreline the strikers began to make fun of Allan Pinkerton with weapons and immediately Allan Pinkerton was forced to use riffles in order to strike back. There were twelve men that were killed in this incident and Allan Pinkerton had given up. This situation put a big toll on Allan Pinkerton's business and his private security.

Allan Pinkerton dies and Allan's sons took over the business and it increased