1900-1930
January 3, 1901: "8:00 a.m., Lawton did not report for duty this morning at 4:00 a.m.; Bailey took his place, which made the relief complete. No arrests since 11:03 last night - 1 lodger. No reports of any irregularities during the night. I guess it was too cold for the crooks to be out. Respectfully, Adam Wiley."
In 1904, the department numbered about 45 officers. By 1908, there were 75 officers on the department, including the Chief, 2 Patrol Captains, 1 Captain of Detectives, 10 Detectives, 2 Jailers, 3 Mounted Patrolmen, 3 Wagon Drivers, 1 Poundmaster, 1 Humane Officer, 1 Clerk, 1 Matron, and about 45 Patrolmen. Pay was $75 per month for patrolmen (the same as it had been 15 years earlier) and officers worked 7 days a week, with 10 days off per year! There was no pension, and the officer had to supply his own uniforms.
When adopted in 1889, Louis Ganwich became the first Tacoma Police officer to wear a uniform, which consisted of a heavy blue wool coat that reached below the knees, trimmed with two rows of brass buttons. Blue pants, a tall blue helmet and a black belt with a brass buckle finished off the uniform, which was worn regardless of the weather. The helmet, similar to that of English "Bobbies", was about 7 inches tall and allowed enough room for a handful of cigars to be placed inside.
By 1907, a police station was located in South Tacoma on the northwest corner of South 52nd Street and Puget Sound Avenue. It is not known how long this station stayed in operation, but by the 1930’s there was a small substation built on South 56th Street, just west of South Tacoma Way, adjacent to Fire Station #7. This tiny building included a desk, phone, and three holding cells for prisoners. It was used primarily for the beat officers working South Tacoma, and was removed about 1960.
About 1911, a gray helmet and knee length coat were adopted for summer wear. The officer's revolver and handcuffs were kept under the coat, and the night stick was carried in a leather socket on the belt. This uniform cost the officer about one half of a month's pay, and in addition, he had to purchase a rain cape and overcoat for inclement weather. The first police badge was a nickel plated circle with a five-point star in the center showing the officers number. About 1910, this was replaced by a massive, nickel plated six-point star.
At the turn of the century, patrolmen were marched to their beats in formation, three times each day. The Sergeant would form up the new relief in front of the police station at 7th Street and Pacific Avenue, then march the officers, two abreast, down Pacific Avenue. As each man reached his assigned beat, he would drop out and relieve the man on duty. This parade turned up 13th Street and then north on Broadway until the last officer had dropped off, with the men assigned to outlying areas catching streetcars. This "changing of the guard" became quite a sight, and people would gather to watch the daily routine. The residential areas of the city were patrolled by officers on horseback, and one patrolman used a bicycle to cover his large beat.
About 1908, the Mayor ordered "Opera Alley" shut down, and required all the prostitutes in the city to work in the "Sandberg Joints", operated by Peter Sandberg. This was a large, three-story brothel built on the east side of Court ‘A’ between South 14th and 15th Streets. It had 208, 8’ x 8’ rooms; just big enough to accommodate a bed and chair. There was also two saloons and a theater, similar to Harry Morgan’s old place. Even though prostitution was illegal, each girl was required to pay a $10 per month license fee to the city and a police officer was assigned this area as his beat. This was considered the roughest assignment in town, and on weekends and holidays, when loggers would come to town, two officers were assigned to this post.
In August 1908, the department purchased its first motor driven patrol wagon, retiring the old horse drawn wagon. It was a Stoddard-Dayton chassis with a body made by the Fawcett Wagon Company, and was used as both a patrol wagon and ambulance. Each of the horse wagon drivers were offered a job driving the new motorized contraption, but two of them refused and quit. This wagon, painted maroon, made quite a racket as it rumbled along, the bell mounted on the side clanging away. As with the horse wagon, special drivers were assigned to this wagon, and the position of Driver was retained by the department for many years afterwards.
In the early 1900’s, many of the officers on the department were elderly men in their 60’s and 70’s. In 1908, Pete Modahl was hired at age twenty-seven, and was the youngest man on the department. At that time there was an all-night fruit stand at 11th and ‘K’ Streets where kids would hang out. An elderly officer was assigned to this beat, and the kids used to harass him by grabbing the tails of his long uniform coat and spinning him around until he dropped to the ground. The department then assigned Officer Modahl, fresh from a job working in the grain warehouses, to that beat and he never had any trouble from those kids.
In 1909, Tacoma replaced the Mayor and City Council with the Commissioner form of city government. This consisted of an elected mayor and three commissioners, including a commissioner of public safety. The Public Safety Commissioner had control over the police and fire departments, choosing his own chiefs. This, in turn, resulted in more direct influence of politics into the department, and every four years large amounts of money were poured into the campaigns for Public Safety Commissioner. Corruption flourished under this form of government, and it was not abolished until 1953.
When new Public Safety Commissioners were elected, old scores were often settled and political favors repaid. In 1926, a new commissioner was elected, and his police chief demoted Detective Dave Peterson to patrolman and assigned him to the Fern Hill beat on a graveyard shift. This beat, in a sparsely populated residential area, was created especially for Peterson, and his shift hours were designed so that he could not use the streetcar to travel to his beat. Peterson was forced to endure this harassment for eight years until the commissioner left office. In another case, Captain Tom Ross was forced to walk a beat downtown by a commissioner he had crossed. There was no employee protection in those days; you simply accepted your punishment or were fired.
In 1912, the first motorcycle squad was formed, consisting of a captain and three patrolmen. The motorcycles were twin cylinder Indian models equipped with pedals, gas lamps, and squeeze bulb horns. The rider pedaled the motorcycle while it was on a stand until the engine started, then kicked the stand out from underneath the machine and drove away. There was no clutch, and you were either in or out of gear. The captain's motorcycle, nicknamed "Snorting Fanny", was bright red, and the other three were dark blue. These first motorcycle officers wore special uniforms of dark green corduroy, with a cap which read: "Mounted Police."
About 1916, the department purchased a Model-T Ford for use by the detectives, but since only two detectives knew how to drive, they had to drive the other detectives around while they conducted their investigations. Starting in the early 1920’s, officers who worked prowl cars supplied their own car, and the department paid them a $30 a month allowance for gas, oil, and tires. It was not until about 1930 that the department started purchasing prowl cars for the officers to drive.
On October 11, 1918, Myrtle Van Bevers took a job as a temporary stenographer to assist the department's only policewoman, Pearl Phillips. Soon Van Bevers found herself answering phones and making case decisions, and she developed an interest in police work. Within a few years, Van Bevers was made head of the Women’s Protective Division, with Avis Pabst assisting her. Their duties included handling child and domestic abuse and runaway girls, among other things. By the late 1940’s, the Women’s Protective Division was combined with the Juvenile Division to form the Youth Guidance Division. Van Bevers was made Captain of Policewomen and served in that capacity until her retirement in 1963 after forty-four years of service.
During Prohibition, the department formed a "Dry Squad" to enforce the liquor laws. There were many stills in Tacoma, and one officer recalled that some nights you could smell the stills cooking in many neighborhoods. Raids were made, stills confiscated and destroyed, but the problem continued throughout the 1920’s. Corruption grew during Prohibition and bootleggers, brothels, and gambling houses would pay off the police and politicians to stay in business. Rum runners would meet police detectives at the docks, who would escort them to the warehouses where their illegal liquor was stored. Scandals, charges, and counter-charges would be made, investigations and Grand Juries called, but the situation remained basically the same. The police, however, did not act alone in this, and the political structure of the city was inherently tied to the graft situation.
Narcotics were also a problem in early Tacoma, and in 1924 detectives staked out a ship in the harbor where suspicious flashlight signals had been seen. A boat would row out to the ship, a basket would be lowered, and then the boat would row away. A search of the ship found a stash of approximately 500 ounces of German morphine, hidden in a barrel of red lead.
On August 9, 1925, another tragedy struck the department. Officer William Wickman, 30, was killed when the motorcycle he was riding struck a car at 68th Street and South Union Avenue. Wickman was northbound on Union Avenue (now South Tacoma Way). in pursuit of a speeder, when a car made a left turn in front of him. Wickman was thrown from his motorcycle and died at the scene. Officer Wickman had joined the department in October, 1924 and was the first Tacoma Police officer to die in the line of duty. Sadly, he would not be the last.
By 1922, the department had adopted a blue wool coat that reached to the mid-thigh and buttoned to the neck with a "choker" collar. The old style helmet was replaced with a round, military style cap with light blue piping and a more modern cap badge. All equipment was still carried under the coat, and since a belt was no longer worn outside the coat, long night sticks were discarded in favor of ‘Billy Clubs’ that could be carried in the back pocket. Length of service was shown by a series of stripes around the cuff of this uniform blouse.
In 1927, the uniform changed to a four button coat, made of 8 ounce blue wool, with brass ‘T.P.’ insignia on the lapels and a star on the sleeve for every five years of service. A light blue, 1/2 inch braid on the cuff indicated a patrolman rank, while gold braid was reserved for sergeants and above. This coat was worn buttoned up, with a white shirt and tie underneath, and all equipment was carried under the coat. This remained the department uniform until 1954, and is identical to our modern day dress blouse.
In 1925, a system of 5 x 8 cards, color coded for the crime being reported, were adopted for case reports. Though an improvement over the sergeant’s log book, no control was kept over these reports, and sometimes an officer would carry the report in his pocket for several weeks before turning it in. The entire incident was described on these small cards, and very colorful language was often used. Some examples, shown exactly as they were written:
10-18-36, Reckless driving: "This lad was driving an old Star touring car with improper brakes & equipment was driving around 19th & Tacoma Ave & G Street at a high rate of speed when I took after them they ducked into alleys trying to get away. Car impounded at Fawcett garage Motor div. notified."
07-13-46: Charge of ‘Investigation’: "This Jasper picked up a punk on the stem and took him topside of a flicker. After a bit he gave the boys pork a fumble. The boy didn’t think that was so hot so he took it on the lam and made a beef to the boss. I answered the call and the boy fingered him at 10th and Broadway......the manager has several beefs on this same bird and has the handle of the beefer."
05-11-50: DWI arrest: "We found this man in the alley between 12th & 13th Streets. between G & Tacoma Ave. drinking with three other fellows. He told us he lived there, so we told one of the other fellows to put the car in the garage which they agreed to do. We told them not to use the car anymore that night. They acted kind of independent but agreed not to drive it anymore that night. About a half hour later we saw them speeding up Pac. Ave."
In 1929, the Police Department moved across the street from the city hall to the newly completed Public Safety Building. This five-story structure was designed to house the station and city jail, and was built adjacent to the old Northern Pacific Railroad headquarters building. Though an improvement over the previous station, it was too small. Soon, the police moved into the Northern Pacific Railroad building, which came to be known as the Police Annex. Later expansion forced the purchase of a building at 710 Pacific Avenue, which housed the police garage and the juvenile division.
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