Jesse E. Curry

Yes, sir; I worked in practically every assignment the police department has, and through civil service examinations was able to gain promotions to a detective, sergeant, lieutenant of police, captain of police, inspector of police, and inspector of police is the highest civil service rank obtainable.

When did you attain that rank, Mr. Curry, roughly?

I believe it was about 1951, along about that as inspector--I don't recall exactly.

Does the obtaining of that rank in the civil service system involve special studies?

Well, you must make some special studies in order to compete with the other men who are trying to reach promotion through examination. During these years I won a fellowship to Northwestern University Traffic Institute and attended that school in 1945-46. I graduated from there. In 1951 I was sent to the FBI National Academy in Washington, D.C., and I graduated from that school.

I wish you would tell us other schools or training sessions you have attended.

Well, I've been to several schools conducted in the Dallas area. I have been to 2 weeks training school by the department of public safety in Austin. I have been to several schools conducted by Southern Methodist University and the FBI here in the Dallas area through the years. I have also taken correspondence training courses from the City Managers' Association, and I believe that's about the extent of my training.

Were you in service during the war, sir?

I was in what was called the CPA, Civilian Pilot Training. It was a program that was open to people who were over combat age in the Air Force. We did not receive any pay when we first went in. We volunteered our services and we were taught to fly. We attended ground training school; I was assigned to Gainesville Junior College and flew out of Gainesville, out of the airfield there. I was then sent to TCU in Fort Worth where I continued my studies at TCU and flew out of Meacham Field, and then I was sent to Amarillo Air Force Base. We were not on the base, but we were assigned in that area and we waited there for, it seemed to me like 2 or 3 weeks and never received any training. We were then notified that we had an opportunity to either ask for release or discharge from the service because we understood-- because of an oversupply of pilots, or else to remain in the program and be sent to various branches of the Air Force for various assignments.