Category: News

On March 11, 1911 inmate Jerry McCarthy, aided by trustee Peter Juhl, escaped from Stillwater Prison. Throughout the Spring and Summer of 1911, the two men were on the run committing robberies around the Twin Cities. On July 15, while planning a robbery of the vault at the Central State Bank at Twenty-fourth Street and Central Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis, McCarthy was apprehended by Minneapolis Police Officer Joseph Ollinger. A close-range gun battle between Officer Ollinger and McCarthy ensued killing both.Peter Juhl remained at large until August 12 when he was captured on the crowded Selby Avenue-Lake Street streetcar after mortally wounding St. Paul Detective Frank Fraser. Juhl was sentenced to life imprisonment for the killing of Detective Fraser.

The Minneapolis Police Museum is proud to announce that yesterday, in honor of Peace Officers Memorial Day, we published Retired Officer Ronald Ottoson’s book on this subject “To Protect With Courage: Volumes One and Two”.

In Volume One, Ron has brought together the key newspaper articles and additional supporting documents to tell the story of the line of duty deaths of Officer Joseph Ollinger and Detective Frank Fraser. Volume Two contains additional supporting information including census data and biographical details of all persons involved in the Ollinger and Fraser cases.

We are grateful to Ron for his vital contributions to furthering the awareness of the history of the Minneapolis Police Department. Ron has donated the proceeds from To Protect With Courage to the Minneapolis Police Museum and we appreciate his kind and generous support. Every penny of the royalties from the two volumes will go directly to support the initiatives of the Minneapolis Police Museum.

Here are links to the books on Amazon:

To Protect With Courage: Volume One: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094TJKFT1/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ronald+ottoson&qid=1621200643&sr=8-1

To Protect With Courage: Volume Two: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094T5Z2QG/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=ronald+ottoson&qid=1621200788&sr=8-3

Thank you for your support!

Click here to watch Episode Seven of the Minneapolis Police Museum video podcast series featuring Retired Officer Robert Huber: https://mplspolicemuseum.org/podcasts/

Watch Episode Eight in the Minneapolis Police Museum video podcast series to learn more about Lieutenant Grant Snyder’s work in the MPD and with InvolveMN: https://mplspolicemuseum.org/podcasts/

We have added three new galleries to the website.

You can find them under the “MORE” section on the Home Page, or by clicking on the links below:

confiscated weapons

interesting objects

women pioneers of the minneapolis police department 1890 – 1990

We hope that you enjoy this article from the Minneapolis StarTribune of November 17, 1931.

Recently, Michael Rainville sat down to visit with Police Chaplain Dave Larson and Police Chaplain Mike Lynch to learn more about their experiences.

He also spoke with Retired Sergeant John Pielow and Retired Lieutenant Scott Zierden to discuss their long and productive careers in the Minneapolis Police Department.

We are pleased to share their conversations with you in Episodes Four, Five, and Six of our Minneapolis Police Museum Video Podcast Series.

Just click here to watch: https://mplspolicemuseum.org/podcasts/

Recently, Michael Rainville sat down to visit with Police Chaplain Dave Larson and Police Chaplain Mike Lynch to learn more about their experiences.

He also spoke with Retired Sergeant John Pielow and Retired Lieutenant Scott Zierden to discuss their long and productive careers in the Minneapolis Police Department.

We will be pleased to share their conversations with you in Episodes Four, Five, and Six of our Minneapolis Police Museum Video Podcast Series in the coming week.

Were you surprised to learn in the previous post that for a time in the 1960s the summer uniform of the Minneapolis Police Department was not blue but was tan and brown?

We are looking forward to adding a new gallery to the website this October that will provide a look at the history of the uniform of the Minneapolis Police Department through the decades.

Please keep your eyes peeled for this exciting addition!

Engraving of Officer Kristian O. Aasgaard in the 1899 MPD uniform taken from History of the Fire and Police Departments of the Twin Cities published by American Land & Title Register Association, 1899

We are happy share with you today our latest Minneapolis Police Museum video podcast featuring Richard W. Stanek.

Richard W. Stanek began his career in the Minneapolis Police Department in 1986 as a patrol officer. He rose through the ranks, serving as Second Precinct Commander, and eventually Commander of Criminal Investigations.

While serving as a police officer, Ret. Sheriff Stanek also served five terms in the Minnesota State Legislature.

He served as Hennepin County Sheriff from January 1, 2007 until January 7, 2019.

Click here to hear Ret. Sheriff Stanek talk about his career with the Minneapolis Police Department with Michael Rainville, our host: https://mplspolicemuseum.org/podcasts/

This podcast is also available on ROKU.

If you have a ROKU TV, just search for the MCN-6 channel where you will find the growing library of Minneapolis Police Museum video podcasts in addition to MCN-6’s other excellent programs.