1974 -

The decade of the 70’s brought another death to the police department. On September 9, 1977, Patrol Officer Larry Frost confronted a man near 56th and South Tacoma Way who had smashed out a store window. There was a struggle and the suspect shot Officer Frost to death with his own gun. Found to be insane, the man was committed to a state hospital for a short time and then released.

On January 24, 1985, Officer Craig Nollmeyer, 34, responded with other officers to a violent domestic dispute at North 10th Street and Prospect Avenue. Prior to the officers' arrival, the suspect killed his wife and wounded his 12 year-old son. The suspect then chased his son to a neighbor's house, kicking in the front door and firing through the locked bathroom door where his son, the neighbor, and neighbor's daughter had hidden themselves. A short time later, Officer Nollmeyer confronted the suspect on North 11th Street, and was shot to death. Other officers returned fire and wounded the suspect, who was subsequently sent to prison.

Domestic violence calls are among the most dangerous and unpredictable for police and on October 25, 1986, the Tacoma Police Department lost another officer to this menace. Officer   Larry Walker and his partner responded to a violent domestic call, where the husband had gone berserk. He attacked the officers in an alley near his home and during the struggle, both Walker and the suspect were shot and killed.

By the mid-1980’s, crime in Tacoma began to rise significantly. The police department, however, remained at staffing levels near that of 1960. By 1987, "Crack" cocaine and the plague of gang violence hit Tacoma hard. The murder rate nearly doubled in one year, and drive-by shootings began to be a daily event. Where in the past, a report of gun shots would be a rare call; we now faced a situation where officers in some neighborhoods could hear shots being fired while they sat in their prowl cars. Assaults and violence toward officers increased dramatically as well.

The crime wave that hit Tacoma was severe, and eventually Tacoma rated number three on the West Coast in violent crimes. Eventually, Tacoma’s reputation became nationally known, when the "48 Hours" program did a special on Tacoma’s crime problems. One incident that sparked this national curiosity was a shoot-out between some Army Rangers and reputed gang members on Ash Street. About 300 shots were fired by both sides, yet no one was hit.

In 1990, Tacoma played host to the Goodwill Games, with venues at the Tacoma Dome and Cheney Stadium. Security was very strict at the games, and officers worked 12 hour shifts to cover both the game sites and streets of the city. At this time, under Chief Raymond Fjetland, the city began to make significant increases in police staffing. In 1991, a community oriented policing project was started that sought to bring the community and its police department into closer cooperation to solve the problems of crime.

On the morning of August 28, 1997, a violent man involved in a domestic dispute with his wife ended in the murder of 39 year-old Tacoma Police Officer William Lowry.

At 6:30 a.m. that morning, officers responded to 1026 East 57th Street where Sap Kray, a Cambodian immigrant, was threatening his wife with a rifle. Kray refused to leave the house and the SWAT team, which included Officer Lowry, was called.

At 10:00 a.m., Kray indicated he would surrender, but when Officer Lowry and others approached the front door, Kray began firing, killing Officer Lowry and wounding Officer David Peck. Kray was wounded in the exchange and retreated back into his house; finally surrendering four hours later. Kray was subsequently found guilty of aggravated murder in the case and sentenced to life in prison.

On April 27, 2004, Tacoma Motorcycle Officer James Lewis responded to assist detectives in stopping a vehicle believed to contain a homicide suspect. Officer Lewis was driving southbound on Alaska Street, using both his emergency lights and siren. As he approached S. 55th Street, Officer Lewis began passing a southbound car, when the car suddenly turned left in front of him. Unable to stop in time, the police motorcycle struck the side of the car. Officer Lewis was transported to Tacoma General Hospital, where medical personnel worked diligently to save his life. At 5:16 p.m., Officer Lewis was pronounced dead.

We hope that you have enjoyed this brief trip through our past and hope that you visit the other pages on this site dedicated to our present day police department.

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