No photograph available

R.A. Berga
Chief of Police
1932-1934

Berga was Chief Deputy Sheriff of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office before becoming Chief of Police for the Gainesville Police Department on July 10^th, 1932. Chief Berga replaced Edward Vestel who resigned as Chief and replaced Berga at the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. Berga originally worked for the Orlando Police Department graduated with a doctorate degree from Colvin College at Wichita, Kansas. Berga was hired as city detective with the Gainesville Police Department under Chief Vestal and was charged with organizing a finger print bureau for the city. The funds were not available to do this so Berga was transferred to the Sheriff’s office where he established one of the most modern and most complete fingerprint bureaus in the state. Additionally Berga was recognized as one of the most efficient criminal investigators and fingerprint identification experts in the south. As Chief, Berga began an "intensive campaign" against slot machines within the city limits, prohibited minors from frequenting pool halls and rigidly enforced the traffic laws.

 In May of 1932 Berga was suspended by the City Manager W. A. Ford "pending the outcome of an investigation now being carried out by a committee of the city commission". The investigation arose over a "Kitty Fund" which the Police department maintained from a practice of collecting a fee of $5.00 for the withdrawal of warrants sworn out and charges to other counties for the arrest of "lawbreakers" from other jurisdictions caught in Gainesville. Berga was later reinstated and the "Kitty Fund" abolished with a more regulated fee collection system put into place. 

On October 13^th, 1934 Berga established Gainesville police radio station W4XE which allowed the desk Sergeants to have radio contact with the "prowl" cars. The motorcycles and chiefs car would be given radio receivers a short time later. The transmissions were one way. Before this, officers in the field would have to check in at the department every 15 minutes to see if there was a call for service. The cost of the system was $508.00. The communication system was run by 5 University of Florida students with radiophone licenses and worked part-time for the city. Berga resigned as chief on October 15, 1934 to accept his appointment as a federal probation officer with the United States Department of Justice Northern District of Florida.