In 1898 the Department was led by Chief Vernon M. Smith who had been appointed by Mayor W.H. Eustis in 1892 and retained by Mayor Robert Pratt upon his election in 1894. In total, Vernon M. Smith served as Chief from 1892 to 1899. Chief Smith had been an engineer early in his career and during his tenure had taken as his primary focus the improvement of the general efficiency of department operations.
In 1898, the Minneapolis Police Department was comprised of 213 officers, distributed accordingly:
- Headquarters – 19
- First Precinct – 57
- Second Precinct – 32
- Third Precinct – 39
- Fourth Precinct – 38
- Fifth Precinct – 21
- Municipal Court – 7
Also for 1898, we have the following figures:
- Total Department Expenditures – $214,028
- Total Value of Property – $97,000
- Total Number of Arrests – 4,785
Photograph of Fifth Precinct in 1898 taken from History of the Fire and Police Departments of the Twin Cities published by American Land & Title Register Association, 1899.