On April 28, 1910, the Flint Police Department ordered the first “paddy wagon”, a truck with a cage to hold prisoners, from the Buick Motor Company.
Source : Historical Society of Michigan
- Police Paddy Wagons were available for sale as early as 1907. Here’s an item spotted on Amazon. 1907 Oldsmobile Police Paddy Wagon Truck ORIGINAL LinenBack Factory. Photo courtesy of R. C. Leavenworth’s Commercial Photo Service, Lansing, Michigan.
- In 1909, the Lansing Police Department received an Olds Touring Car called the Black Maria on loan which looks almost identical to the car above. Light gauge wire was used to enclose a holding area to deter escapes. The Lansing Police Department was among the first in the nation to have an auto patrol.
- Daniel Rivero, “A complete history of the phrase ‘paddy wagon,’ the surviving Irish-American slur, SplinterNews, March 16, 2016.