The area was then expanded to the west, close to what is now NW 7th Avenue. Pfender, F.H. He had been sailing on the yacht Vincent Astor for eleven days and now was to return by train back to Washington, DC to prepare for the upcoming inauguration. He was later appointed Chief of Police in 1933.). Other participating agencies include the Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, New Kensington Police Department, Westmoreland County Detectives, Indiana Borough Police Department, Phoenix (Arizona) Police Department, Scottsdale (Arizona) Police Department, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety. In May of 1930, Capone was arrested three times for 'investigation' or vagrancy. Brock's policemen brought him bottle after bottle of moonshine and Brock did a lot of sniffing. Me. He was the only MPD fatality during this war. Headquarters for the MPD was supposed to be on one of the upper floors but the City Manager advised that the police department needed to be on the street level. Elected in 1906, Chief of Police Frank B. Hardee. A local news editorial remarked on what action Curry was taking. Pinder. Cecil Knight, Woods partner in the chase, was Captain Cecil (Hamp) Knight, who was one of the most famous Auto Theft detectives in the nation for many, many years. Zangara had previously lived at 138 Jersey Street in Patterson, and in Hackensack, New Jersey until he moved to Miami months ago. No days off. Melchen. A hearing was held by the City Council and Hardee explained the situation. Lee to replace S.D. Chief Headley's reputation was constantly besmirched by Mayor High but big Walter prevailed. LIST OF PBA PRESIDENTS are contained in this chapter of the book. (Miami News/Miami Metropolis/News- 1/17/1920). Huttoe and Barker were both suspended by Chief Headley. Actually it was 2:47AM when the phone rang at the Chief Harms' household. Miami Herald, 4/25/1929). (2) No card playing in the police station. Detectives. Attending was City Mgr. Sistrunk, Earnest, Sr. (Ed) on beat schedule May 1907. The Manager read to the commission one line of the report; Quigg is wholly unfit for the office, under him the Police Department has become cruel and because a militant, tyrannical group that follows standards foreign. July 17th -The paper noted that Sgt W.M. Lane died before they arrived. (Mid-1950 police squad were committing burglaries rather than catching crooks. In the meantime, he called the newspaper and told them to send him a reporter and camera man. (This vicious crime described in the book resulted in the hanging of the offender. Law enforcement in Miami prior to the 1896 incorporation, was provided by the Dade County Sheriff, who was headquartered in the then county seat of Juno, many miles north of the city, headed up at that time by heriff R.J. Chillingsworth, assisted by his Miami deputy, S.S. Puckett. The next thing I knew, Sophie walked over to me and Dorothy and said that her new friend wanted to "hire" the three of us (whom he had seen hanging out at the bus stop on numerous occasions and assumed we were hookers).' automatic. Coplin was one of the many MPD officers who served in the military during the war. September 15th -All MPD officers were required to take a job knowledge exam that covered subjects taught to them at the recent police school program. In 1962, the City Manager, Mel Reese, hired as Public Safety Director, a retired Marine Colonel, Donald Pomerleau. Parker joined with another huge MPD officer handling traffic in the downtown area, Frank Leavitt. The detectives moved in and the shooting started. Twenty-five of those years were in the homicide. (US Census reports, Miami Metropolis/News-8/1913). In 1914 a MPD Officer named W.H. The conclusion of both agencies was similar; that Zangara, an uneducated proponent of anarchy, operated alone in this crime. This event in Huttoe's career simply added to the many other gambling cases that brought him much attention during a thirty year span at the Miami department. (MPD records). He was quoted in the Miami Metropolis of April 23, 1915 "that they were good, hard working officers who only were drunk". Miami will be the first city in US to put this new equipment into operation. Sheriff Jimmy Sullivan, a former MPD officer, was indicted by the Grand Jury in Dade for aiding racketeers from the S. & G. syndicate. The case was hampered by the change in State Attorney's. All rights reserved. 1999-2017 MPVA. On March 20th, 1933, fourteen days after Mayor Cermack died of his wound, Giuseppe Zangara was executed in Raiford State Prison. The trend continued into Viet Nam which funneled many GIs into the MPD. He did and broke both of his legs and a hip. directing traffic downtown was struck and killed at Flagler Street and Bayshore Drive on February 16, 1926 by an auto driver by J.L. Appointed special officer in 1905. A host of these leaders moved on to head other agencies, including Dick Witt being Chief of Hollywood PD and two others, Emory Putman heading up Mt. His parting words were, It just was not worth it. It is interesting to note the comment Mayor Cermack made while hospitalized on hearing of the speed of Zangaras first trail. No details offered. Officer Miguel then made a power tackle, downing the man and disarming him. I knocked at the door of the apartment and his wife responded, in a bathrobe. Phone: (928) 556-2201. Lane left a fianc, his parents and a brother. He served as Chief of Police during three separate periods, extending into the 1940's, then served as a City Commissioner and later as Dock Master. View Map. Gray and Constable Frohawk arrested Asbury Duckett for the knife murder of Ben Worthy at Woods Saloon, north of town. He had only $43 on his person when arrested and $200 in a New Jersey postal account. Chief Dillon oversaw the establishment of 18 police call boxes and the hiring of the first policewoman, Mrs. Ida Fisher, who was hired to work with delinquent young girls. 8351 W. Cinnabar Ave. Peoria, AZ 85345. He had firebombed Smiley's Bar in Miami early the same evening he shot Lane. The 230 plus short stories, all true, supplemented by numerous news paper blogs, follows Miami Police guys and gals through the decades to provide the reader with a condensed history. The Movement had a budget of $10,000 in contributions for paying these rewards. We never received another complaint from Chief Denham about our traffic enforcement efforts. After his military service, Coplin joined the MPD and served many years, most of which as a detective in the Burglary Unit. (Miami News-9/13/1926). (This chapter relates the details on the arrest of a MPD staff officer for murder.) After an investigation by Chief Quigg, Dets. A few arrests of the attendees for various minor violations were made according to Lt. Jimmy Knight, but. Main figure arrested was Raymond Healy, 26, termed by police a self-styled Hitler who came here recently from New York. Also this month, a 21 year old volunteer city fire fighter, John Thompson, was killed when his fire truck flipped over en route to a call just north of town. Seventeen year old Shumaker fired two shots at Hepburn with a 22. OFFICER DeLEON KILLED IN HIGH SPEED CHASE. In November of 1913, Miami annexed some of their nearby neighborhoods increasing the size of the city to 14 square miles with a population of about fifteen thousands residents. Johnson, working the traffic detail downtown, fired four shots from his pistol at two jaywalkers on Flagler Street today. He was a Miami P.D. Sgt. Officer English suffered only minor injuries. Talk about fright, he yelled, I yelled and ran back. )(397 words). Well I have my vest on and start to hyperventilate. Motes was one of the recent graduates of the 30-man Academy class in August of 1946. (Additional details on this death are contained in this chapter of the book.) A Miami Police motor officer was hurt when his police motorcycle went into a ditch while he was escorting a Ku Klux Klan motorcade today. A review of the old newspapers and other sources mention the following men who served as Miami police officers, from 1896 to 1921. These officers were a credit to the Miami PD and to the City of Miami. Authors Note: Now, when Harry and I exchange visits and telephone calls, he never fails to bring it up, to my delight. Later news articles indicated that Potterton was still on the job in 1949 as a Detective Captain. Driving to NW 6th Avenue between 8 and 9 street, the officers stopped their unmarked car. McCarthy outlined his plans for the supervision of the department, stating " There has been too much tendency for police officers and personnel to take up so much time with politics and not enough with their own duties. State law enforcement officers arrested four persons in connection with the shooting of Curtis Ellis, a moonshine informant. (817 words), (Story of 13 yr old being abducted) body found years later) (303 words), (Story about the assassination of Officer Vic Butler. At 3:15 AM early Monday morning, April 19th, 1926, Miami police headquarters was notified by phone by an area resident that several men had been seen prowling around houses in the rear of the Saunders store. Zangara was initially charged with four counts of Attempted Murder and was tried and convicted on these charges on February 20th, 1933, less than 100 hours after the crime. During the late 1950's, Miami was experiencing a number of fires at businesses in the downtown area. All members enjoy equal arrest authority across jurisdictional lines as a result of a mutual . 1st Place and 13th Street in Miami. (Dr Wilbanks' "Forgotten Heroes", 1996 & Miami News- 7-2/16 & 2/17/1951). Some of the results of these actions can be seen from news articles that appeared in the Miami Daily News during that period. Hope you enjoy their humor. Miami Police, many of whom knew Stathers personally, responded to assist and flooded the Gables residential area with uniform squad cars and K-9 units, and Dade County Homicide detectives commenced their investigation. John Manny charged that Safety Director Reynolds had a secret contract with the City that he (Reynolds) would be put back into his old job as Commander of the Motor Squad if he got bounced from Safety Directors job. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; The City Attorney asked that charges be dropped. (Miami News-9/11/1950). To this day, no one has been convicted of the tragic crime. Hardy Bryan, Capt. (Miami News- 3/31/73), (Field officer tells of real street stories.) Some of their regular members at that time were Cal Davis, Mel A. Tibbets, V.D. Poe stated that he was wearing the hood to cover the MPD markings on the motorcycle. The pair had caught a Liberty City citizen in a compromising situation and attempted to extort money from him by threatening to tell his wife about his indiscretions. Yogi Berra was right. July 19th -The new 79th Street Causeway opened for traffic. (Miami News- 12/3/1941). Appointed in Dec.1905 Royal Palm Hotel. Motor officers were provided with chin straps, Sam Browne belts and puttees. Under the new system, a thief need leave only a single tell-tale print at the scene of a "job". (Miami News- 7/13/1941). Chief Quigg ran into extreme legal difficulties in later years, was arrested, cleared, fired and later re-hired. The weapon has never been recovered. Next thing I know a bailiff is asking if I am all right. The trio was picked up on information provided from Tampa police. A fact published in the Miami Metropolis newspaper on February 19, 1915, concerns the process of appointing the Chief of Police and stating the number of members of the force at that time. A year later he was serving as a Detective Sergeant. Northrup. The news story detailed the current salaries. His partner, Officer Whitlock, came to his rescue with gun in hand. Gardner was fired for sleeping on duty and intoxication. Redman, from assistant traffic director to Captain of Uniform Division. He was recently indicted and extradited to Dade County to face a first degree murder charge for killing Bob Yee, - a good man and a good cop. Foss joined the force in 1934 after a leg injury forced him to give up a major league baseball career. He was stationed on the USS Arizona in Hawaiis Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941, during Japans strike against America. Scott and Harry Bushman arrived at scene on Oak Avenue just inside of Miami City limits and were jumped by the offender. I had to make a decision, even though I was still on probation. Carberry heard a pick-up call for a green Pontiac believed used in the Grand Union robbery and spotted the car at SW 3rd Street and 12th Ave. Others hit were William Sinnott, a New York City police officer accompanying Roosevelt, Margaret Kruise, a New Jersey visitor, Russ Caldwell, Miami, and Miami Mayor R.G. He also fired Desk Sergeant C.A. The jail was completed by Christmas day with the police on the first floor and city hall above it. Collins, despite the pleas of court appointed attorneys, including Lewis Twyman, President of the Dade County Bar Association, James M. McCaskill and the Italian speaking Albert Raia, that their client was mentally unstable, sentenced Zangara to eighty years total. Bishop testified for Mitchell, saying Franks was a troublemaker. The county area then also covered what is now Palm Beach and Broward Counties. Black MPD officer, Charlie Cohan, was killed by his own gun as he partied with his girl friend in an off-duty incident. 39. Later, Ms. Lager went out to the porch and on glancing down to the pavement, saw the policeman lying there face downward. The action was based on the Grand Jury report. In February of 1933, Crews was one of the Miami officers who arrested Guisippi Zangara for the murder of Chicago Mayor Cermack during the attempted assignation of President-Elect Franklin Roosevelt in Miamis Bay Front Park. Brogdon of the Miami Beach police department paid a $10 fine in city court for speeding. Miami Herald Photo-1912. But I often wondered if the real volunteers were outnumbered by Castro's agents. Willie Garrett, 26, an ex-con with a long record linked to the Black Panther Party, was taken off an airplane several hours later in Orlando as he headed for New York, still in possession of the gun used to kill the officer. The Chief is working steadily on the establishment here of the fingerprint system of cataloging criminals. City Commission orders a shake up of the police department. The tune was "Casey would walk with the Strawberry Blond', which drowned out the rest of Ginsburg's poems. Stathers weapon, a .357 Colt Trooper, was missing. (171 words). One shot hit bystander, Mrs. Myers, in the neck, seriously wounding her. The Black Sunday movie hype had stirred up the pre-game media, supplemented by our SWAT practicing anti-terror drills at the Orange Bowl all week. Phillips, Paul G. On job1911. A possible 26 (Burglary) goes out to an old structure that sat north of the 4-Ambassadors hotel at Brickell & 8. His last words were, Goodby to all poor people everywhere, PUSH THE BUTTON. Gingras, 17 and Charles Shepard, 12, the later two being current police officers with MPD. The other is that of Miami officer, Leroy LaFleur, shot dead in 1951. The detention of the juvenile sons of a prominent resident over the alleged scalping of tickets at the Orange Bowl caused quite a commotion and the reduction in the police officers work week from a seven-day week to a six-day week occurred in this period. C.R. Rookie MPD officer Richard Roy Marler, 34, was shot and killed accidentally by a Dade County deputy sheriff on November 28, 1921, during a manhunt for an armed robber and suspected killer who was 'running amuck' with a shotgun. The story of the funeral and the KKK's participation was detailed in Dr. William Wilbanks's book, "Forgotten Heroes, Police Officers Killed in Dade County". Laurie Lafayette Wever, 34, a four year veteran of the MPD, was shot and killed while chasing two armed robbers in Miami. railroad line had just been extended to Miami from Palm Beach the previous April. A Grand Jury report declared recently (1923) that the MPD was using an electric chair to obtain confessions from criminal suspects. Wichman was survived by his wife, Vivian. (MPD Records, City of Miami publications, Miami Metropolis/News- 7-1917). Negro officer John English was thrown through a plate glass window at a NW 2nd Ave restaurant while investigating a bill-skip. D. M. Kendall was chosen as Range Captain and Red Crews the Instructor. Wilson was being held at the jail pending the preparation of insanity papers after his arrest the previous day. Miami detectives had received a tip earlier in the week that safecrackers might soon target the credit union in this building. Gore. He called in two of his detectives and told them to arrest a pickpocket and beat him up real good and bring him to his office. Before venturing into our Miami street stories, the author presumes that the images the reader possess of Florida law enforcement in the early days of Miami, differs primarily from today, only in the technological gadgets and modes of transportation that are now present. L.G. At intervals, they would open fire on the yeggmen, who would return with rifle, pistol and shotgun bullets. ), PO Box 291121 Port Orange Fl 32129All Rights Reserved. They also propose that during the winter season that the officers be assigned to seven day weeks but will be able to add the extra days later in the year on their vacation period. Officer Patrick Howell Baldwin was killed in an auto accident yesterday. A wag reported in a Miami News column that "A title for an official song for the police department has been suggested; You may be deaf tonight but you will get your hearing in the morning". In 1899, Miamis COLORED TOWN was created from land donated by Henry Flagler and Julia Tuttle, adjacent to the downtown Miami business area, within the confines of then 6th street to 12th street (prior to the 1921 renumbering of the streets) (US Census, City of Miami Publications). Thankfully, he just said, "O.K. Detective Lieutenant C.O. He was also supplied with ample amounts of iced lemon aid to help him keep his cool while handling this vexing assignment.". These officers may not be Miami household names as they were not the subject of stories that the news media loves - corruption and gossip. Times change. A crowd of witnesses immediately converged on the police station protesting the officer's action. Ginsburg continued without the mike but Costa ordered that music be blasted over the loudspeakers. It had been said that he lost much of his savings at the Miami horse and dog tracks. Officer ------- ------, a beat officer assigned to this area, was suspected of igniting the fires himself so that he could observe the fires as well as the response by the Fire guys. The Grand Jury made reports on the situation and the newspapers ran stories often. Some of the examples they cited were Detective C.C. Collier later served time for other offenses and Deskins was fired and was last heard from out in Texas. Officer Ted Seaman was one of the first arriving officers, with Art Epperson and Felix Eades sliding up shortly after. The following is a copy of that list, the exact date of which is unknown. Sullivan was later reinstated but resigned when statewide prosecutors reopened criminal investigations. Note: Retired MPD Vet Ginger Jones is the granddaughter of Officer Croff. He was also the father of now deceased MPD Vets Major Bob Knight and Captain Jimmy Knight, and is the grandfather of our own MPD Vet Lyriss Underwood, VP of the Miami Police Veterans Association. Coconut Grove merchants demanded that a police review committee of consisting of Asst. A resident sent a riot call to headquarters as the shooting continued. (208 words), The funeral director had to arrange a separate time for blacks to view McCarthys body, as it seems that he was very popular with all the people of Miami, rich and poor, cabdrivers and professionals, men and women, black and white. Napier was also transferred out of Vice and reassigned to General Assignment. July 6th -Officer Harry Bouterse was fired by Chief Reeve for an alleged extortion attempt. Hardie built the fire department from scratch and was very well regarded for his energy and efficiency. Miami Mayor Gautier and Mayor Anton Cermack of Chicago welcomed him. The investigative units that comprise the Department's Criminal Investigations Section are responsible for the follow-up investigation of crimes committed against persons or property in the City of Miami, which require a degree of specialization or a centralized investigative approach. That conviction was later overturned by the Federal District Court due to Garrett being held for an unreasonable period prior to trial. McCreary had been the Vice President of El Commodore Hotel in Miami for at least five years and was a member of the City Publicity Bureau. At the same time, the geographical limits of Colored Town were expanded after much discussion as to whether to do this 'by custom' or by law. At a subsequent trial, Niles was convicted of first degree murder which then carried an automatic sentence of execution in Floridas new electric chair. Detective Haworth had served with the Miami-Dade Police Department for 23 years. Other photos of officers in the next few years did not show the patch, suggesting that initially only the Motor Squad was issued the triangle patch. In December of 1907, a citizen charged Chief Hardee with a violation of his duties for releasing information to a suspect. Also, a 23 year old William Williams was fined $10 for pointing a gun at motor Officer L.G. You are now leaving the official website of Miami-Dade County government. (422 words). This evidence; fingerprints and DNA, led to the identity of the killer, who was by that time, incarcerated in a New Jersey jail on other charges. Assistant Chief of Police, Miami, FloridaFounder and President, (2000-2010) Miami Police Veterans Association,This email address is being protected from spambots. Also, in August of 1952, Detective Lt C. O .Huttoe was given a five demerit reprimand by Chief Headley by participating in a gambling raid conducted by Dade County detectives. (This chapter describes one method the police department kept the streets clear of drunks and vagrants.) MPD Officer Johnnie Young was one of several officers who responded to a burglary-in-progress at 400 NW 4 Avenue on March 7, 1947. (Miami Herald & Miami News-1/11/1927. In mid 1921, Miami's city government switched to a commissioner-manager form of government, bringing sweeping changes to the police department. Downtown Miami Officer Crown located the offender and arrested him. He was a pilot, a magician, paid circus clown and a story-teller extraordinary. When Detectives E. S. Chambers and Henry G. Howard arrived at White's home, they observed smoke pouring from a bedroom window. One the same date, Officer Frank McDade, Gordon McDade and Harry Lee were allegedly drunk on duty and the Council asked for a hearing. (This chapter lists the black Miami P.D.officers who served at the black Precinct from 1950 to 1962, when it was closed and the department integrated.). A sensational crime during the late 1950's was the vicious murder of a lady, Ethel Little, at 1220 NW 31 St, on December 15, 1959. They served in WW2 and then had a career at Miami P.D. (In Dec of 1979, Miami-Dade officers (Sheriffs dept) chased and beat a man who later died. Officer John Westmoreland was Bowles partner. Flanagan. In July of 1955, Miami police patrol officers switched from two-man patrol cars to one-man cars, doubling the number of zone cars to handle calls for service. John Milledge, 49, one of Miamis first black officers, was shot and killed on November 1, 1946, (The killing of black MPD officer Milledge is described in detail, as well as recent developments.) Chief of Police Mitchell immediately follows by announcing his retirement. He started to insist on driving but was already a DUI (probably also had a few on the way to work). It was about 3 AM on a night in 1958, assigned to Unit 610. City Manager Lee resigns the following day. The wind then blew her skirt over her head. Elected Chief. No story accompanied the picture. McCarthy was a traffic division Lieutenant in 1925, having a detail of 250 men under him, more than there are now (1935) on the force. (This chapter goes into detail on the death of Officer Baldwin.) (Story about ducking knives thrown at MPD guys by a crazed person in Liberty City.). In 1910, the population of the City of Miami was 5,000 (a 400% increase in one decade). Sniffing moonshine whiskey in the line of duty gave Captain Raymond Brock, of the Miami Police Department, an early retirement and a pension of $339 a month back in 1955. Wilson died at the hospital. Collins, Gerald Baldwin, S.A. Tanner, Hubert Coleman, Cal Davis and R.G. (657 words ). Branch had previously set off bombs around the city, including one at the home of Miami Herald Editor, Don Shoemaker. "What happened to my case", I asked. A burglar broke into the Miami Police Academy and got away with a number of bills ranging from $1.00 to $100. 9105 NW 25th Street, It is not known how long Maloney was on the department but we will wager that he did not have any difficulty with the tough guys down on Flagler Street while directing traffic. Baldwin. Department of Children and Families Squad: Conducts criminal investigations, including sexual battery and lewd and lascivious reports, in which both the victim and the subject are 13 years of age or younger. C.O.Huttoe, who was Vice Squad commander during most of 1940 and 41, seemed bent on embarrassing Chief Quigg. (Miami News-8/1937), Officer Jesse James Clinton was dismissed by the City Manager because he ran for a seat on the City Commission. (This chapter relates the details of Dades first padded cells.) It was charged that Det Tom Nazworth, R.L. The City Manager later orders the pool room to be closed. (168 words). (Sulllys own account of getting shot on St. Patricks Day,1971.) Employees can login to access personnel information, workplace tools, trainings and more. In the process of bending down, my tailor-made riding britches split at the seam from knee to knee!! Records. Nolle had his unoccupied city car shot with rifle bullets the previous month which were followed up with telephone calls to his wife stating that Nolle himself would be the target next time. On a side note, my stomach went through another churching episode just prior to kick-off that day. A 66 year old officer, John D. Marchbanks. Officer Samuel D. Hicks, a 48 year old MPD veteran, an Alabama native, was killed by a drunk driver on Sunday, August 9th, 1936 at N.W. Many residents of the area were asked (and complied) to take a polygraph test. On February 28, 1951, Officer James Brigman, 29, a South Carolina native, was killed in an auto crash at N.W. All officers are to undergo range training in the next three months. Scott was in civilian clothes after going off duty at 1045PM and was headed for a restaurant. Her body was soon found just off the road. Wow- I was a bit nervous during the first half thinking about a worst-case scenarios. Jonathon has been with the Avondale . Smith, Charles H., Appointed December of 1905. if he knew anything about Urban Renewal. It was noted that Detective Sgt Hardy Bryan was promoted to Lieutenant by Chief Quigg, Bryan, from Suwannee County, Florida, came to Miami ten years ago and joined the MPD two years ago. Homicide detectives Ernie Bush and A.J.McLaughlin investigated and charged MPD Officer Harold Mitchell, 33, for aggravated assault. J.P. led me into this bar, where I thought he was going to check out the establishment's license or something. Officer Dallas L. Carroll, Patrol Section officer, was transferred from his patrol car duty to that of walking the Coconut Grove beat on midnight shift after raiding a Tamiami Trail bookie joint. Thomas. These days, Miami Police Department Det. Detective W.J. McCreary and Detective E.W. McCreary was the person who called Chief Quigg about the alleged pimping by H. Kier in 1925, which resulted in Kier being shot and killed by MPD detectives while they were running Kier out of town. Detectives Chambers and Howard beat out the flames without the aid of firemen. Stevens, E.V. Sullivan, who joined the MPD in 1934, served ten years downtown as a traffic officer at SE 1Avenue and 1 Street. Driggers were assigned the case. At the time of her passing, she was the oldest pensioner in the Miami system. The officer headed a squad cracking down on illegal liquor in 1952. The investigation indicated that Nolle was wounded by shots from a 20 gauge shotgun at 9:25PM and his life was saved by ducking just in time, according to Det. After a moment of silence, the young C.I. A fierce gun battle erupted at NW 12th Avenue and 2nd Street during the evening of May29, 1969, leaving Officer Ed Carberry, 24, wounded and two gunmen dead.