Crime doesn’t pay, but it will definitely amuse attendees who come to “Police History during the Great Depression” at Fitchburg Historical Society, 781 Main St. on Wednesday, October 14, at 6 p.m. Researchers Sally Cragin and Dr. Joe Cronin focused on researching crimes large and small which were registered between 1930 and 1935 in the newly arrived archives of Fitchburg Police Department ledgers. During this period, petty crime skyrocketed, and youth mischief escalated, while serious crime of theft $50 and over reduced. This educational event is free to attend.

Since January, the pair has slowly made their way through thousands of typed pages of crimes great and small. “Some of these incidents will make you chuckle, such as the boy who misbehaved at the Cumings Theatre by sitting in the balcony and blowing pepper onto patrons seated below – pepper he admitted bringing from home. Other crimes are more serious and show the desperate straits people were in as well as the correlation between drunkenness and crime.”

Fitchburg Historical Society received the ledgers earlier this year, and Fitchburg Police Chief Steven Giannini stated, “The Fitchburg Police Department is thrilled to be able to donate these records to the Fitchburg Historical Society, where we know they will be categorized and preserved in the manner that they deserve. This collection truly belongs to the community and I hope that they enjoy reading these passages and traveling back to a different period of time as much as I have.”

Sally Cragin is a Fitchburg resident with deep roots in the community. She is a prize-winning journalist who wrote for the Boston Globe before running for Fitchburg School Committee in 2007. Currently, she serves as a Fitchburg City Councilor-at-Large and is at work on her third book.

Dr. Joseph Cronin is a retired dentist who leads the “Poetry Readaloud” monthly event at his residence, The Gables. He began doing research at the Fitchburg Historical Society in 2021 and was honored for his work with a Local Star Award from the Massachusetts History Alliance. He authored his memoir “The Last Narrowback,” about growing up with his Irish family in Boston.

The performance venue is fully handicapped accessible and there is ample street parking.  For more information, visit fitchburghistoricalsociety.com, email welcome (at) fitchburghistoricalsociety.com, or call 978-345-1157.