Clinton Riggs

Clinton E. Riggs (July 15, 1910–May 22, 1997) was a law enforcement innovator and educator who retired from the Tulsa Police Department officer as Administrative Chief in 1970 after 36 years of service. He conceived and implemented several improvements in the area of traffic enforcement, he is most noted for his invention of the first Yield Right of Way sign used in the United States.

Biography Clinton Riggs was born July 15, 1910, in Fairview, Oklahoma, in 1910. His family moved to Tulsa, where he graduated from Central High School in 1929. He joined the Tulsa Police Department (TPD) in 1934, but left to join the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in 1934. He was in the Army Air Corps during World War II, serving in intelligence and plant protection. After the war, he returned to the TPD, rising to the rank of administrative assistant chief. While employed at TPD, he also attended and graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1954. He retired from TPD in 1970. Riggs continued to think about the problem. His goal was to create a sign that would both control traffic at an intersection, but affix civil liability for a driver that failed to yield. dead link Paul was a Tulsa city engineer who worked under Riggs, the Traffic Director of TPD. Riggs later told a Pittsburgh, PA interviewer that Paul had helped him erect some of the first signs in Tulsa, but later took credit for the invention in an article in Evanston, Indiana. Riggs' name was not even mentioned in the article. Riggs said he wrote Rice a letter complaining about his omission, but never received a reply.

In 1954, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways published another design to be used at unmarked intersections.

In 1971, the Riggs design was officially superseded by the standardized American version, which consists of a white triangle within a red triangle and the word YIELD in red letters, superimposed on the white background, as shown in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways - 2003 Edition.

Other achievements Designed the Tulsa Police Department's shoulder patch, patterned after Riggs' original yield sign. Created the Tulsa Police Academy. Established a university degree requirement for new officers. Wrote police handbooks: Law of Arrest for Police Officers The Police Officer Witness.