Tennessee F.O.P. Magazine, October, 1962
Young Men Dominate City’s Police Department
Murfreesboro’s 26-man police force is headed by a youthful, aggressive 36-year-old gentleman who worked his way up through the ranks and over a 16-year period advanced from patrolman to the highest position on the force.
He is Chief Bobby Lynch, who was recently advanced from the rank of Captain and Assistant Chief to the top position following the retirement and eventual death of the late Claude Vance.
Chief Lynch has as his righthand man, Capt. Robert Goodwin, a 39-year-old assistant chief who also worked his way up through the ranks.
The average age of the Murfreesboro Police force is 34 years with an average experience of eight years per man.
Only one man on the force is over fifty years of age and several are in their twenties.
Besides Chief Lynch’s youth movement, the force is also moving toward an air of efficiency in record keeping with various types of up-to-date filing systems whereby specific information concerning police business is in fingertip reach at all times.
Included in this category is a fulltime identification specialist who operates a complete photographic darkroom which has led to an efficient mug file to aid in identicication and arrest of criminals.
The man operating these accommodations is Sgt. Robert Blanton who, like Chief Lynch, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy with training in fingerprinting and other methods of criminal identification.
Sgt. Blanton has also taken professional courses in photography in taking and developing pictures
(ed. note: the rest of the article may have been lost to history)