The Boston Police Strike occurred in the fall of the year 1919. The police force was made up of primarily Irish-Americans. Police officers were working for low pay and they were working long hours. The police officers tried to get a union in place so that the they could get more pay and work fewer hours. The police commissioner refused. Over one thousand police officers went on strike and many riots broke out because there were no officers to restore order. In addition, there was a lot of looting and crime taking place. The mayor called in local militia units to try to gain control and restore order. After this attempt, he called to order the whole Massachusetts Guard and this brought the strike to an end.