Roller skating was a popular past-time in the 1880s and Minneapolis had many roller rinks the best of which was advertised to be the Washington Avenue Roller Rink.
Minneapolis Police officers often took part in contests – sometimes for prizes and sometimes for charity – at the Washington Avenue Roller Rink.
On February 2, 1946, the 1,425 Minneapolis schoolchildren who comprised the School Traffic Patrol were honored by the head of the patrol, MPD Officer Lyle B. Riordan with the following words:
“Never a death or a serious accident at a patrol-guarded intersection in the 16 years since the patrols were organized. This tells the story of a job well done for a long time, in fair weather and foul.”
From the Minneapolis Daily Times of February 2, 1946
After returning from a visit to police departments on the East Coast, Detective D.H. Derrick was interviewed by the Minneapolis Tribune. Here are his remarks from June 11, 1910:
Photograph of Detective D.H. Derrick courtesy of Hennepin County Library Special Collections
Here is a recent MPD History Presentation from the Minneapolis Police Museum. We hope that it will provide you insight into some significant innovations through the decades.
Mrs M. Hawley was the Janitress of the Minneapolis Police Department’s 5th Precinct in 1901. At that time, the 5th Precinct was located at 215 East Lake Street.
Photograph of Mrs M. Hawley courtesy of Retired MPD Officer Ron Ottoson
On April 6, 1921 Police Suspenders were on sale at The Old Kaiserhof Bargain Store at 244 Nicollet Avenue.
The sale price was 49 cents per pair reduced from $1.00 per pair or, adjusted to today’s prices, $6.58 on sale regularly $13.43.
Advertisement from the Minneapolis StarTribune on April 6, 1921
In May of 1975, Captain Bruce Lindberg of the Model Cities 6th Precinct, and his wife Ruth, attended a meeting of the Minnesota Press Club where Uri Geller was the featured speaker.
Mr. Geller was known for using the powers of his mind to bend spoons and restore clocks, amongst other things.
The Lindbergs each brought with them a non-working timepiece in the hopes that Mr. Geller would be able to revive them.
One of these items, a small green clock, had not worked for more than 15 years and the second item, a watch, had not worked for 5 years.
When Mr. Geller asked the audience if there were any timepieces needing attention, the Lindbergs raised their hands.
Ms. Lindberg kept the small green clock in her purse while Captain Lindberg put the watch on the table. Mr. Geller looked at the watch and ten minutes later it began running. Ms. Lindberg pulled the small green clock from her purse to find it running also.
Two hours later, the two timepieces were still running.
From an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune of May 23, 1975
Photograph from the museum collection courtesy of Cara Rule McGrath
Pictured from left to right are: Jerry McFarlane; Roger Schmidt; Greg Smith; Rod Homstad; Riley Gilchrist; Bruce Lindberg; Luke Koerner; Chuck Donaldson; and Jim Howell.
The 1894 murder of Catherine Ginn by Harry Hayward was the most notorious homicide case of Minneapolis’ Gilded Age.
Here is a recounting from the book “History of the Police and Fire Departments of the Twin Cities: Their Origin in Early Village Days and Progress to 1900” (published in 1899):
From 1867 until it was razed in 1933, Lock-up Alley was a well-known Minneapolis location even appearing on city maps.
Lock-up Alley was located on Washington Avenue between Nicollet and Marquette Avenues.
It was also the location of the Central Police Station, the Police Barns, and the jail.
Despite its location near the Central Police Station, Lock-up Alley – like the nearby Fish and Jumbo Alleys – was a rough place. The Minneapolis StarTribune mentions Lock-Up Alley frequently and nearly always in conjunction with stories of fights, stabbings, runaway horses, public drunkenness, and fires. Additionally, because Lock-Up Alley was unpaved, it was a hazardous place to travel through. In fact, in September of 1903, Lock-Up Alley was for a time judged to be nearly impassable while under eight inches of watery mud.
The most famous resident of Lock-Up Alley was Minneapolis Police Matron Sara Schaeffer who lived in a suite of two rooms at the jail from 1901-1927.
The most infamous person to be jailed in Lock-Up Alley was Harry Hayward, the Svengali-like figure who was tried and convicted in the 1894 murder of Catherine “Kitty” Ginn.
The late Retired Officer William R. Lundquist began his career in the Minneapolis Police Department as a member of the Rookie Class of 1966-1967.
Officer Lundquist, along with his partner Sergeant, was a member of the original 1970 K9 Unit. The unit had eight teams. They were: Officer William Lundquist and K9 Sergeant; Officer Mark Jacobson and K9 Rommel; Officer Phil Bishman and K9 Lance; Officer Dave Neibur and K9 Thor; Officer Richard Stahura and K9 Trooper; Officer Dick Morrill and K9 Rex; Officer Roger Fancher and K9 Clancy; and Officer Charles Adams and K9 Lance.
Leveraging his experiences in the MPD, Officer Lundquist, along with Lieutenant Mike Fisher and Officer Al Hancock, helped the St. Paul Police Department to develop its own K9 Unit.
Officer Lundquist and his K9 partners were well known throughout the city and were a popular attraction at neighborhood events and at the Minnesota State Fair.
Officer Lundquist’s colleagues in the Minneapolis Police Department remember him as a great K9 officer and a good person who was devoted to his family.
Top photograph courtesy of Retired Officer Don Schwartz