On May 10, 1976, the Minneapolis Police Special Operations Division (SOD) had a chance to develop their rappelling skills.
The SOD members practiced at a five-story fire tower behind Fire Station 11 in Southeast Minneapolis.
The purpose of the training was to provide the officers the skills they needed in such a case where they were required to make a rescue or reach a suspect high in a building where the only access was from above.
The members of the SOD were joined in the rappelling training by their 51-year-old Captain Rollo Mudge.
Officer Jack Giebel, Sergeant Jerry Shanahan, Officer Jim Hovda and Officer Doug Madsen were amongst the SOD members who took part in the training.
Officer Shanahan was reported to have stepped out onto a window ledge, grabbed the rope, tilted his head back and walked right down the wall first one step at a time and then with big bounces once he got the hang of it.
Officer Madsen may have thought that it was a bit hairy going out the window but once he got going he had a lot of fun with it and wanted another turn.
The team was scheduled to train the next day on the Nicollet Avenue Bridge at Minnehaha Creek.
Source: Minneapolis StarTribune of May 11, 1976
Photograph from the “Minneapolis Police 150th Anniversary” book published by Acclaim Press (currently out of print).