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END OF WATCH – AUGUST 1, 2002

Today we are thinking of Minneapolis Police Officer Melissa Jayne Schmidt who was killed in the line of duty on August 1, 2002.

Officer Schmidt was shot and killed after she and her partner responded to a call shortly after 7:00 pm reporting a woman with a gun at Horn Towers.

Upon arrival, the officers made with contact with the 60-year-old suspect. While Officer Schmidt and her partner were questioning her, the woman said that she needed to go to the bathroom.

Officer Schmidt escorted the woman to the public restroom in the lobby of Horn Towers. While in the restroom, the woman produced a handgun and opened fire, striking Officer Schmidt in the abdomen below her vest. Officer Schmidt was able to return fire and killed the suspect.

Officer Schmidt served with the Minneapolis Police Department for more than 6 years and was assigned to the Public Housing Unit. She was 35 years old at the time of her death.

Officer Schmidt had previously served in the United States Marine Corps in MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, and the U.S. Foreign Interests Section in Havana, and in Cuba as a Marine Security Guard.

Officer Schmidt was survived by her parents and her brother.

Today we remember Officer Schmidt and extend our sympathy and condolences to her family and friends and to all who miss her.

This blue enameled lapel pin is inscribed with the text “6367/ MELISSA SCHMIDT/ AUGUST 1, 2002/ WE WILL REMEMBER”. This pin was presented to Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty during a Law Enforcement Memorial Association luncheon in 2002. Photograph of pin courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society

In January of 1936, a 58-year-old Minneapolis grocery store owner named Oscar Odean was shot to death by two armed robbers in his store at 4047 Washington Avenue North.

The robbers shot Mr. Odean as they entered the store and then shot him twice more, killing him, as they left the store.

The shooting was witnessed by 8-year-old Carl G. Benson who was a neighborhood boy and a good friend to Mr. Odean. Carl spent a lot of his spare time at the grocery store visiting with Mr. Odean and other neighbors.

Only two months earlier, while Carl was visiting, the store had been robbed and Mr. Odean had been shot in the hand as he wrestled with the robber after the robber had thrown Carl to the ground.

At that time, Mr. Odean told Carl that if the store should ever be robbed again Carl should observe the details, call the police, and provide as much information as possible.

Carl remembered Mr. Odean’s instructions. As soon as the men left the store, Carl called the police and provided a description of them, what they were wearing, and also the details of their getaway car.

After days of investigation by the Minneapolis Police Detective Squad both suspects were in custody.

Carl bravely identified both suspects for the police and helped send the men who had killed his friend to prison.

Here is a photograph from February 12, 1936 of Carl G. Benson identifying one of the suspects during the Odean Murder Trial. Photograph courtesy of Hennepin County Library.

To read more about this story as published in the Camden Community News on January 1, 2010, simply click here: http://www.sitelibrarian.com/news/info.nsf/theLookupByDocumentId/32DB42CAA61ED3B18625769B007F9757?opendocument

This photograph of Officer Shoeru Cha standing next to his squad car was taken in 1980. Does anyone remember Officer Cha?

Photograph courtesy of Hennepin County Library

Here is a photograph of the police boat that was kept at the old North Side Station.

The photograph is from August 2, 1939 but we do not yet know the names of the officers pictured.

Photograph courtesy of Hennepin County Library

Can anyone identify the officer directing traffic in this photograph taken in Downtown Minneapolis at 7th Street and Marquette Avenue on a sunny day in May of 1970?

Photograph courtesy of Hennepin County Library

On July 25, 1920 the Minneapolis Morning Tribune reported that Minneapolis Police Department salaries were not keeping pace with inflation.

Minneapolis Police Department salaries on this day 100 years ago were:

• Patrol Officers – $140 a month
• Sergeants – $150 per month
• Lieutenants – $160 per month
• Captains and Detectives – $170 per month

We will cast the spotlight for a moment on the Patrol Officers – the Backbone of the Department – who were provided only their helmets, whistles, shields
and nightsticks by the city.

Patrol Officers were required to purchase their own uniforms without compensation.

Patrol Officers were required to have two suits of official clothes: one for fall and spring wear; and another for summer wear. For winter, they were also required to buy a fur-lined overcoat, extra heavy shoes, socks, underwear, and mittens to keep out the cold.

In the article, Patrol Officers shared that back in 1916, they could purchase a ready-made single-breasted summer uniform for $20. Double-breasted spring and fall uniforms cost them $27.50. A good fur-lined overcoat cost $125 in 1916.

By 1920, the cost of these articles had more than doubled while salaries remained flat.

Patrol Officers reported that in 1916, they were able to purchase the best pair of working shoes made for $4.50. In 1920, those same shoes cost between $12 and $15 a pair. Patrol Officers on the beat customarily walked through two or three pairs of shoes per year, so the increase in cost was not trivial.

Additionally, Patrol Officers were required to purchase their own revolvers without compensation.

In 1920, a 38 Caliber Colt Special Revolver, the standard gun of the Minneapolis Police Department at the time, cost $38 whereas in 1918 the same gun could be purchased for $18.

In a 1920 survey of Patrol Officer salaries for 45 Police Departments across the nation, it was found that the salaries for Minneapolis were fifth lowest.

In order to relieve some of the financial pressure on Patrol Officers, Chief Walker engaged with clothing manufacturers to begin producing uniforms and shoes for the Minneapolis Police Department at a lower price and advocated for higher salaries.

To read the full article from July 25, 1920, just click on the link below and scroll down to page 9.

https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?doc_id=mnhi0005%2F1DFC5G5C%2F20072501&query1=&recoffset=0&collection_filter=All&collection_name=addabf07-f848-43e3-a488-2782562f220d&sort_col=relevance&objRsltIdx=0&CurSearchNum=8&recOffset=0

Minneapolis Morning Tribune of July 25, 1920 courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society

Photograph of Patrol Officer Alfred Averbeck from December 28, 1920 courtesy of Hennepin County Library

Here is a seldom-seen interior view of a brand-new armored car purchased by the Minneapolis Police Department in June of 1935.

Photograph courtesy of Hennepin County Library

Here is a photograph, dated 1900, of the Minneapolis Police Mounted Unit.

Photograph courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society