Guide No. 13-A:

Employees' Retirement Funds & Police, Fire Pensions (Addition: Floyd Knight File)

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, memoranda, and manuscript notes.

The Dallas Police and Fire Pension System was created by the City of Dallas in 1916, and in 1933, was established under Article 6243a, Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes. The system is administered by a 12-member board of trustees, consisting of four city councilmembers appointed by the Dallas City Council, and three active police pfficers, three active firefighters, one retired police officer, and one retired firefighter, all elected by the membership. The mayor chaired the Board of Trustees until 1976, and a councilmember trustee chaired the board until 1983. Since that time, the chair has been elected by the trustees from among the membership of the board.

In 1968, patrolman Floyd Knight was slain by a gunman during a robbery and was found with his paycheck in his pocket. Without forethought, the city auditor's office requested the officer's widow return $22.72 of his paycheck because unearned work time remained within the reporting period. Although friends of the slain officer collected the amount and repaid the city, the story made national news and the auditor's office received numerous letters of censure and condemnation from across the United States.

Collection consists of correspondence regarding the incident. The correspondence was transferred to the Police and Fire Pension System at an unspecified date.

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Detailed Description of the Collection