Category: History

On July 1, 1978, the Bryn Mawr Bugle congratulated Officer Fred Desjardin and his K-9 Rocky on their great showing in the Region 12 Competition of the U.S. Police Canine Group.

The article included praise for the team’s recent visit to the Bryn Mawr Picnic where they were a star attraction.

Portrait of Retired Officer Fred Desjardin from the “Minneapolis Police 150th Anniversary” book published by Acclaim Press (currently out of print) 

Bryn Mawr Bugle of July 1, 1978 courtesy of Hennepin County Library

On May 10, 1976, during its Open House, the Fifth Precinct received a new Bicentennial flag from the community.

In its coverage of the event, the Wedge newspaper wrote:

“A prophet is often without honor in his own country. One aim of the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association (LHENA) is that the Bryant Station not be without honor in their home neighborhood.

On May 10, many of the Association’s members visited the station for its open house. They enjoyed lunch, saw police dogs, police cars, and boats.

Dads and moms, sons and daughters all enjoyed the day.

As a sign of LHENA’s appreciation of the Bryant Precinct, President Tom Martinez presented a Bicentennial flag to Captain McCarthy. With the brisk wind that day, it was soon flying for all to see.”

If you look very closely at the photograph of the station, you can see the new Bicentennial flag flying directly beneath the American flag.

“Wedge” of June 1976 courtesy of Hennepin County Library

A safe community is easier to maintain when all residents participate and are involved.

Carol Oosterhuis was a Crime Prevention Specialist for the Minneapolis Police Department. In an article she penned for the Hill and Lake Press she asserted that the best defense against crime is neighbors who know one another.

Here is Ms. Oosterhuis’s article from May 1, 1993:

Photograph of 2018 Minneapolis Police Fifth Precinct Open House courtesy of Minneapolis Police Department

“Hill and Lake Press” of May 1, 1993 courtesy of Hennepin County Library

A McGruff House was a temporary place for children to go when they found themselves in a frightening or dangerous situation while going to and from school or when playing in their neighborhood. Children were told in school, through advertising, and through communications by law enforcement that they could go to any house displaying the McGruff House sign and be safe there.

Any house, apartment, townhouse, mobile home or even a business could become a McGruff House.

Interested participants were given a brief presentation of the McGruff House program outlining what would be expected of them if a child were to approach their home for assistance. This was followed by an application process which included a background check on all adults living in the prospective house.

Participants were instructed in the following Dos and Don’ts of the program:

• DO call the appropriate authorities if a child needs help or has a medical emergency
• DO reassure the child if they are frightened
• DO report crimes or suspicious activity
• DO NOT provide first aid except in life-threatening situations
• DO NOT administer medications
• DO NOT enforce laws

Each autumn in Minneapolis, there was a push to get the word out that more McGruff Houses were needed.

Here is the call for McGruff House volunteers from the “The Northeaster” on September 19, 1990:

The McGruff House program operated under the motto “We’ll call for help”.

In February 2012, the McGruff House program was ended after nearly 30 years of operation due to the advent and growing prominence of cell phones combined with reduced budgets.

“The Northeaster” of September 19, 1990 courtesy of Hennepin County Library

“Know your neighbors and learn how to be safe.”

This was the advice of Officer Tom Sawina and the Bryn Mawr Crime Information Network in 1990.

The practical tips given in the Bryn Mawr Bugle on March 1, 1990 are helpful for any community in any decade.

Bryn Mawr Bugle of March 1, 1990 courtesy of Hennepin County Library

Saturday, July 9, 1960 marked the beginning of “Know Your Police Week”.

The Minneapolis Tribune wrote that “a lot of persons have known about their police officers for years. They know them as athletes and coaches.”

Marvin LeVoir, who worked in the License Inspector’s office, played football for the Minnesota Gophers from 1936-1938. Marty Christensen from Traffic played football for the Gophers from 1939-1941. Officer Don Smith played for the original Minneapolis Lakers team. Officer Russ Wasser was once a Minneapolis heavyweight boxer.

Jack Boike, who worked in the Identification Bureau was the Grain Exchange’s American Legion assistant coach. He was also Courthouse golf champion several times and won the Richfield Knights of Columbus golf title.

Captain Ed Farrell swam for the University of Minnesota from 1931-1933 and competed in the Olympic Trials in the 1500-meter in 1932. Richard Oly of the Police Dive Team was also a swimmer. Motorcycle Patrol Officer Bill Leadans was a champion hunter who traveled all over the Upper Midwest and Canada for his sport.

The Minneapolis Police Softball team had a good record and defeated the St. Paul Police softball team 13 out of 20 games from 1950-1960. The Minneapolis Police Pistol Team, coached by Officer Tony Hammel, won the Minnesota Police Pistol Tournament 11 years running from 1949-1960. It also won individual crowns in 9 of those 11 years. The team won the State Open title for all three calibers in 1959 and 1960.

Many members of the Minneapolis Police Department coached city kids. Officer Ralph Hitchens of the Morals Squad, who once played junior hockey in Winnipeg, coached a Roosevelt area pee-wee puck team to the 1959 city championship. Officer Tommy Russell coached youngsters at Christ the King school. Gil Jacobsen of the Juvenile Division coached hockey at St. Phillip’s School. Officer Bob Ball coached and helped spearhead the Boy’s Town – DeLaSalle football games. Officer Fred Wallner, who played part-time with the Millers during their 1948-1949 season was a youth coach and umpire. Other youth umpires were Officers Ross Brovald and Ralph Koll. Officer Dick Fine was also a popular youth coach. He played in the Northern Baseball League from 1938-1939.

Source: Minneapolis Tribune of Sunday, July 10, 1960.

Photograph of Minneapolis Police Activities League (PAL) 13U Girls Volleyball Team celebrating their 2016 Championship win. Photograph courtesy of PAL.

One hundred years ago today, after decades of work by Suffragettes and their supporters, the 19th Amendment was declared ratified.

Today we are thinking with pride and gratitude of the many women of the Minneapolis Police Department, past and present.

We are also thinking today about all of the young girls who will one day become Minneapolis Police Officers. We can hardly wait to meet you!

The Minneapolis Police Museum recently visited with Retired Sergeant Jeffery Grates to learn about Fun in the Sun.

Fun in the Sun is an annual “Up North” event usually held during the second week of August.

It all began 50 years ago when members of the the Model City Precinct C-Shift rented a cabin up at Borden Lake Resort for a week of recreation and relaxation. Members of the C-Shift stayed in cabins there and also in their own tents and pop-up campers.

In the 1970s, waterskiing and volleyball were popular activities at Fun in the Sun.

Over time, the location of Fun in the Sun changed. Here is a glimpse of one of the cabins at Camp Holiday on Turtle Lake where the C-Shift stayed for several years.

Retired Sergeant Grates emphasized the friendships and camaraderie enjoyed by the Model City Precinct C-Shift and the also the conviviality of the annual event.

The Minneapolis Police Museum sends its best wishes to the Model City Precinct C-Shift on the 50th Anniversary of Fun in the Sun!

Top photograph from 1972. In back row from L to R: Dave Patton; Jimmy Lang; Steve Erickson; Jimmy Knutson; Dave Risfit (friend of MPD). In front row from L to R: Roger Gates; Jack Nelson; Harry Baltzer; Charlie Miles; Dayton Dunn; Mark Cassman.

Photographs courtesy of Retired Sergeant Jeffery Grates

Emma Louise Paine was born in East Smithfield, Pennsylvania on August 2, 1854. Her parents were Isaiah and Ruth Kingsley. In 1878, she married Horace Paine and moved to Elmira, NY where she lived until his death in 1887.

The following year, in 1888, Mrs. Paine moved to Minneapolis, to be near her sisters.

Upon arrival in Minneapolis, she began at once to search for meaningful work.

She was a religious woman and her beliefs led her to join the parish at Westminster Presbyterian and also to to become involved with the fledgling Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), the Sisterhood of Bethany, and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).

These organizations believed that Minneapolis needed a woman to address the special needs of women and children in the jails and courts. They formed a Police Matron Committee and put forward a petition to the Minneapolis City Council to create the role of Police Matron.

The Committee defined the requirements of the role and its own involvement as follows:

• The Police Matron would reside day and night in the Police Station
• She would have have under her care all arrested women and children – regardless of location in the city – and she would accompany each to court
• They would pay her salary of $120 per month (later, as the role proved to be effective, the City offered to pay for the salary but the Committee would agree only to split the costs as it wished to retain its influence)
• The Committee held the right and privilege of nominating candidates for the role and had approval over appointments

Although they were concerned about her lack of experience, the Committee thought that Mrs. Paine had the right character and temperament for the role and put her forward as a candidate for Police Matron.

Mrs. Paine served in her role as Police Matron for twelve years from 1889 until 1901. During this time, she assisted approximately 7,200 women and children in the jail and court. She was highly regarded by both the Department and the community.

In 1901, after the election of Mayor A.A. Ames, Mrs. Paine stepped down from her role as Police Matron and was replaced by Sarah Schaeffer.

Photograph of Emma Louise Paine from “History of the Police and Fire Departments of the Twin Cities: Their Origin in Early Village Days and Progress to 1900” (published in 1899)

Additional sources: Minneapolis Tribune of January 22, 1928 and of May 25, 1958

Did you know that in 1977 the most famous arena of play for gamers in Minneapolis was the Community Room of the Model City Police Precinct?

A game club called the “Old Guards” met there on Saturdays. Its president was Tom Zwirn. The “Old Guards” began setting up each Saturday morning at 10:30 and were ready for play by 11:00.

Any random Saturday would find 15-20 gamers and 4-5 referees gathered in the Community Room. A small group might play army miniatures at one table while a larger group would likely be immersed in the game for which the Community Room was most renowned…the game of Traveller.

Here is how Mr. Zwirm described the Community Room’s long-running Saturday game of Traveller to a reporter:

“Each player goes through the roling process (which is done by rolling the dice, so it is a little confusing). It gives him his role identity. It gives him his IQ, his various abilities, his branch of the service or nonservice. He may get ships, in which case he hires crews.

Once the character is roled up he hands the dice to his referee who describes the encounter, whether the character has seen anything, whether there is a star system there or not. The referee, having generated a scenario states the purpose, and you take it from there.

My purpose is based on H.G. Piper’s Space Viking and I start people out in four different areas of my galaxy. They go through what a spaceflight would be like – colonizing, organizing a planet, creating trade, and so on.

In general they are defending their borders and increasing the boundaries of their empire. So you keep on until you die or get killed. Usually, the guy who dies will role-in a new character while the game goes on and then join the situation at that time.

It’s not really a win/lose type of game. The whole game – to simplify – boils down to how well you handle a given situation at a given time. Satisfaction comes from the job well done. There are no verdicts from the referees. If the player is fairly well-versed, he’ll know whether he’s done a good job, and so will nearly everyone else.”

From the Minneapolis StarTribune of December 11, 1977