One yeggman dropped in his tracks. In 1917, Lt. William C. Shields, a seven year veteran of MPD and the second in command, was arrested in connection with the homicide of Eddie Kinsey, a young informer for the department. Lane ran back through the hotel in an attempt to intercept him. (This chapter tells the scary story of a homeowner shooting at an officer. Phillips, Finch Cochran, Alex Gingras, D.A. (Miami Metropolis/News-2/19/1915). S. D. McCreary. The surviving veterans who served in this unit and attended our emotional reunion can always be quite proud of their association with this unit. Actual news clipping of Gunfight 4/19/1926 Saunders Grocery robbery, https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xjwuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=atcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1683%2C2507824. asked. . On job May1907. We never received another complaint from Chief Denham about our traffic enforcement efforts. He later served three times as Miami PD Chief of Police. Governor Broward signed the death warrant for Edward (Cady) Brown to be hung on June 5th for the December 1905, murder of Mrs. Dora Suggs. Walter Headley. Leslie Quigg, long time MPD Chief of Police, related this story to MPD Vet Joe --------, husband of Quigg's granddaughter. These were seven- day a week assignments. Inspector Forest Nelson takes blame for taking a city car to Ohio on a months vacation. While patrolling the South End on an evening shift, I stopped a driver for a noisy exhaust.' He was promoted to Sergeant ten months ago. In December of 1933, Constable John Dickson was killed by an offender. The story is quoted exactly: "The Chief of Police is elected by the people, while members of the force are appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the City Council or by the City Council. Zangara had previously lived at 138 Jersey Street in Patterson, and in Hackensack, New Jersey until he moved to Miami months ago. ", (now probably called hazing)in this chapter. (Miami News, 1935). Dade County Sheriff Dan Hardie accommodated Zangara last request and the button was pushed. Three officers were assigned to the downtown business area, three others stationed in the colored area, and two were desk sergeants and one a motor officer. Captain Bill Nolle, the commander of the black Precinct, was shot at his home, 245 NW 48th Place, Miami, in late March of 1957. officer killed in the line of duty.) Christ was later defeated in his election attempt. Wichman joined the MPD in 1947 as a member of Academy Class #11, played on the MPD football team and directed traffic on Flagler Street until his death. He would often be assigned as acting Chief of Police when Chief Headley was out of town. Authors Note: Tamasy was assigned to the new Juvenile Unit shortly after her hiring. Click here for an updated story. Note: Manning (the burglar) , after recovering, was bonded out by his wealthy out-of- town family, and stayed at a Beach hotel while attending his trial. (Story concerning the 1969 plane crash by one of the officers on the scene.). I stood next to Referee Norm Schacter, NFL Security, Miami Fire, a National Guard rep. and the team Captains discussing who would make the enormous decision to evacuate the teams and crowds while millions of fans world-wide watching on TV. Harry is past 90 yrs now and still acts like the Energizer bunny. Delrish Moss is a national news figure. 1996), (This chapter relates some tales from the MPDs pursuit of the CASH GANG) (766 words). This is the story about a wild Burglary-in-progress by eight burglars that the Miami Police department responded to at that location. Foss joined the force in 1934 after a leg injury forced him to give up a major league baseball career. Sistrunk, Earnest, Sr. (Ed) on beat schedule May 1907. I had the pleasure of working for this quiet-spoken leader on special projects in the 60's and 70's and had a great admiration for his integrity and dedication. Wever was buried in Miami's Woodlawn cemetery. Chief of Police Mitchell immediately follows by announcing his retirement. Fifty or sixty shots were then exchanged between the robbers and the officers. McCann, the driver, had swerved to avoid a pedestrian that had emerged from a bus. Chief Whitman asked for the resignation of Off. Cefalu-- broadcasted over the police radio. The fire department was called to provide a net for the men to fall into but before they arrived, one of the men decided to try to jump down. The newspaper article went on to discuss the rewards over $2,000 offered, including $250 from Governor Broward, as well as the community reaction to the crime and the reporting on the funerals. Ginsburg continued without the mike but Costa ordered that music be blasted over the loudspeakers. The judge gave me a piece of his mind after court, but did understand.. Chief Paul Denham had the reputation of being THE authority on anything to do with traffic and auto crashes in the entire state of Florida during his distinguished career. The other four men were carrying a small safe which had been removed from a larger safe in the store office. (Miami News-4/15/1926), (Here is an exciting story that was found too late to be included in the book. Armed with one fingerprint, experts can turn to their files and identify the thief, if he has a prior record. The suspect was arrested by MPD Chief S.D. Long time MPD Sergeant Mansfield was buried today in honor. - Homer .S. The two most seriously wounded were Mayor Anton Cermack, standing on the running board of Roosevelts car and Mrs. Joe Gill, wife of the President of Florida Power & Light Company, hit with a bullet to the stomach. When he got close enough, the skinniest policeman met him with a straight right that knocked him unconscious. Contact Us Miami-Dade Police Department Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez III Director Fred Taylor Miami-Dade Police Headquarters 9105 NW 25th Street, Doral, FL 33172 305-4-POLICE August 29th -The Chief continues instilling discipline in the force. It will cause you to think about the policeman's lot for many years to come. In May of 1930, Capone was arrested three times for 'investigation' or vagrancy. Det. (Miami Metropolis/News- 8/21/1917). Several years ago our Vice President, Harvey Bach, proposed awarding funds toward college scholarships for the children and grandchildren of our Miami Police Veterans Association members. John Ross, Dave Rivero, Larry Boemler, Gwen Boyd, Nancy Olon, Vince Landis were just a few that went to head other various Law Enforcement agencies. Huttoe claimed that he was beaten because he refused to go along with the graft setup in the department. The first City of Miami policeman was killed in the line of duty. However, in a following story on the trial of Detective Chief Scarboro, possible reason(s) surfaced. Some good came out of the hurricane. McLendon, D.E. In 1943, England's rulers asked Miami Police for assistance in investigating the murder of Sir Harry Oakes in the Bahamas. The county area then also covered what is now Palm Beach and Broward Counties. Miami Herald, 4/25/1929). Editor's Note: Officer L.G. Lieutenant Francis Lee Napier was reduced back to the rank of Sergeant by Deputy Chief Youell. 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. (#7-6/22/1928). Sergeant Lindstrom has been studying the plan assiduously and has now qualified as a first class finger print man." (Miami Metropolis-1/1/1897). His uniform had the triangle patch just above the Sgt stripes. Sexual Crimes Investigations Unit 1701 NW 87th Ave. Suite 120 Phone: 305-715-3300 Fax: 305-715-3390 Chief Quigg hired Leavitt, a 340 pound Georgia hillbilly, to be a traffic officer on Flagler Street. The former Marine, wounded in France in World War I, has been a MPD officer since 1921 when he joined after a short stint as a Washington D.C. officer. His wife was his manager and together they banked most of his earnings during his wrestling career, accumulating a million dollars over the years (a huge sum back then). Mathis, sleeping and drunk on his beat, with a pint bottle in his pocket. The man apparently was badly wounded. In 1962, the City Manager, Mel Reese, hired as Public Safety Director, a retired Marine Colonel, Donald Pomerleau. for information. Now Hiring! Mansfield, E.L. Barrick and Neal M. Coston. A young resident of Miami since 1901, Leslie Quigg, announced his candidacy for Sheriff of Dade County. But, this time, all his buddies knew about it - because they had taken him there.". In December of 1907, a citizen charged Chief Hardee with a violation of his duties for releasing information to a suspect. Being the book-worm that Steve was, he remembered that the book said to switch to casual conversation after pumping a C.I. After several weeks, Branch set up a bombing and Plumacher was supplied with fake dynamite sticks to place at a Jewish leader's home. Godman, J.D. Holton was fired. Hope you enjoy their humor. Norman Franks, MPD motor officer, chased a bandit car containing a gang of robbers. That began the 'Night of the Long Knives", as it was called. Shields, E.J. Det Whitman resigned in 1958 to begin a law practice and has followed the case to this day (He is now 92), offering his assistance without compensation, in an effort to close out this terrible crime. Sgt Ellsworth was awarded the Gold Medal for Heroism and was selected the department's Officer of the Year award. Headley charged Huttoe for interfering in a case outside his own detective district. Periodic checks were made by members of the Safe & Holdup Squad. Negro officer John English was thrown through a plate glass window at a NW 2nd Ave restaurant while investigating a bill-skip. On March 7, 1972, two black males hi-hijacked a Chalk's Flying Service Grumman 73 from the MacArthur Causeway dock adjacent to Chalk's terminal. (Miami News-3/1/1939), In 1939, Chief Quigg issued a permit for the KKK to conduct an auto parade down Flagler Street, which resulted in the heightening of tensions between the races in the City. The combined newsletters, 48 ten-page quarterlies, would fill a book with close to 500 pages and will serve as historical basis of our MPD history in the 21st century. The case was hampered by the change in State Attorney's. Flury, V., April 1906 as an unpaid officer at the Docks. It was in fact a new system that had been improperly installed.' 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. Cermack, was able to speak immediately after his admittance to the hospital, as Roosevelt visited him before the President-Elect left the city for Washington. He is still going at 90 and we all love him. The hall utilized by the black residents of Miami for many social and community events was bombed at 2AM, on a Sunday morning in July of 1917. Hicks was buried in Graceland Memorial Park on SW 8th Street. Phone: 305-471-2400 Fax: 305-471-2311 Email: hominfo@mdpd.com Major: Fernand Charles Jr. (Miami PD records, Miami News-9/11/1941). Det. C.E. (6/24/1947). Smith was taken to police headquarters and questioned by Police Chief Quigg. While, at the MPD practice range in Opa Locka, things got exciting. All of these men are regarded as double heroes. 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. His parting words were, It just was not worth it. 1st Place and 13th Street in Miami. Brock was married to his wife Helen and lived at 159 SW 28th Road, passing away 26 years later at age 73, (Syracuse Herald-Journal, Dec 1952, MPD records). Steve is now deceased. Nelson had earlier served as Chief when Quigg was first fired in 1944. Lt. Curry, back in the late 1910's, stepped in for the Chief of Police for several months while the boss was ill. Curry did an outstanding job, according to press reports at that time. During the period of 1958 into the mid 1960s, Miamis Mayor was Robert King High, a diminutive attorney who's passion appeared to be criticizing the Chief of Police, Walter Headley. One of these has been the renovating of the headquarters office in the city hall. Dismissed Miami officer, Joseph Liquori, 31, was found guilty this week in Federal Court for conspiracy to ship Anti-Castro arms to the Dominican Republic. Chief Reeve and a giant deputy named Aughenbaugh and pled guilty. William J. Whitman, a current police officer, was elected to the position, besting A.R. She then explained that she was preparing to bathe as she had a pressing appointment, and that I could let myself out after changing.' Chief Quigg did not give details of the organization, saying that details were being worked out rapidly and that the best experts obtainable would be placed in the squad. Andrews in his bare feet, wearing a bathrobe and pajamas. C.R. On November 10, 1956, more than 1,000 police personnel moved into that new building, which would remain the MPD headquarters until 1976, when the department moved to the current station at NW 2nd Ave and 5th Street. His partner, Officer Whitlock, came to his rescue with gun in hand. No match was found and the Miami police were unable to solve the case. Willis, for tampering with a crime witness. 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. Clarence L. Holton, B-1908, a MPD officer from 1938 thru 1949, was suspended by Chief Headley in 1949, from the guard force at the 20th street stockade for fighting with another guard. I grabbed the keys and advised that I will drive. We still greatly miss him, his deep voice and his keen mind. var addy_textf8c7179f01f0232d36019b24ca80cace = 'MPDVET' + '@' + 'aol' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloakf8c7179f01f0232d36019b24ca80cace').innerHTML += ''+addy_textf8c7179f01f0232d36019b24ca80cace+'<\/a>'; Dade County Sheriffs Deputy, Wilbur W. Hendrickson, 45, was the other lawman killed by Bob Ashley that night in the attempt to facilitate escape. His name will appear many times in these MPD stories. A temporary replacement was Lt. William B. Curry, a 12 year MPD Veteran, appointed by Mayor Parker Henderson, to fill the remainder of Whitman's term. Neighbors reported to the police that the men drove to the scene in an auto. The other one started to climb back up and then decided it would be much smarter to wait for the firemen. When Sophie gathered the three of us, all of us working in street detail, the "John" explained that he had something new that he wanted us to do. Al Capone, notorious Chicago gangster, would frequently winter in Miami's warm sun. He had been a detective in the Miami P.D. As I'm looking through a dirty window the building caretaker is in the inside looking out through the same window. In June of 1929 Nelson was suspended, then reduced to police officer rank. City Manager Danner was fired by the city commission. In 1920, according to the US Census, he was living in Bridgeport, Ct, working at the AT&S Co. 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). 3/25/1938, Detectives Sid C. Broome and J.A. June 4th -Public Safety Director Arnold advises publicly that all bookies either quit their activities or will be jailed. Elected Chief. New furniture and fixtures have been installed, making it much more business like appearing place. Officer Miguel then made a power tackle, downing the man and disarming him. He refused the alcohol test and was not convicted of the DUI charge, which had been down graded from manslaughter. According to City of Miami Police, a family member called officers to the Grove at Grand Bay Condominium Association, located at 2669 S. Bayshore Drive, just before 8 p.m. on Wednesday. This Good Samaritan police officer rushed to help her by pulling her dress down. (168 words). We all love him as do many others officers around the state who know him from his long time F.O.P. (3) Officers must wear the uniform while on duty. I've got mine on and its very uncomfortable. Appointed in January 1908 for the holidays. Sheriff Frohock has gotten tired of the large number of habitually idle negro and white men, who frequent North Miami and Colored Town, (both areas just outside the city limits and under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff), some of them having been hanging around these parts for months and even years without working or having any visible means of support, and last night, accompanied by two or three of his deputies, made a raid on these gents of leisure. North Miami and Colored Town were given a through scouring and when the job had been finished, seven Negroes and one white man were in the toils and escorted to the jail where they were locked up on the charge of vagrancy. The Miami Beach officer warned the judge in court that he better watch his speedometer while riding in the vicinity of Miami Beach. The chief and the new public safety director, would be appointed by the city manager, and police officers would fall under civil service guidelines. Some of their regular members at that time were Cal Davis, Mel A. Tibbets, V.D. In front of Saunders store, Driggers could see four men armed with rifles and shotguns and they had him covered when one of them issued the command for him to retreat. (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. You're the third person to suggest this!" The Miami PD also instituted the Bertillon system of fingerprinting and added a new Ford, the department's first automobile, to their list of "modern" equipment. (178 words). No fine, no arrest, no charges, no strings of any kind- just so you keep away from the wheel of the car until you become sober. In the spring of 1936, he announced that he was vacating the Chief's position and wished to be assigned back to the rank of Captain in charge of the Traffic Divison. Five other men and one woman were not yet in custody. A local paper showed Officer E.W. Morris, Rose and Mitchell, it was determined that Niles planned to take over all the assets of Asher after his death, and an order issued to pick up Niles. The ticket was issued by a City of Miami officer. Charles O. Nelson, a 68 year old former New York City Police Inspector was sworn in. King, W.H. He was now practically powerless, nearing the end of career, and was apparently attempting to squirrel away some cash for his retirement. One arrest on May 28th was made by Chief of Police Guy Reeve and Detective Chief Scarboro for vagrancy as Capone was attending a boxing match at the local American Legion hall. (Miami News/Miami Metropolis/News- 1/17/1920). (288 words), 215. The Chief is working steadily on the establishment here of the fingerprint system of cataloging criminals. Barker, Lt. J.H. McDade, E.H. was appointed as a MPD officer in 1911. On Dec 17, 1968, Barbara Jane Mackle, 20, daughter of Robert Mackle, wealthy Coral Gables based Florida land developer, was kidnapped .. (An interesting story on MPDs involvement in the Mackle kidnapping case.) (MPD Records), (This long chapter describes the criminal activities of the infamous ASHLEY gang that terrorized south Florida for many years.) Before the completion of the trial, he robbed his own family and fled the state. One spot check found a window open but no burglars, causing the detectives to commence a stake-out at the building. Wood and Rhymer were acquitted but Nazworth was convicted and fined $250. on May 30, 1995, Officer Carlos Santiago, 47, a 13 year veteran of MPD, was killed when he fell thru an open bridge over the Miami River. Readers of this site who would like to enjoy the full stories in Chief Dohertys book may obtain a copy from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or from the publishing house, Xlibris.com. Whitman was elected as Chief of Police, with 425 votes, with A.R. In the weeks after the opening of the recruiting office, practically each Cuban stopped and questioned by the author and other officers for any reason, would hear the halting English reply that "I am working with the CIA, so don't bother me.". I asked this veteran of many years of patrolling Miami's black area and who had survived several fatal gun battles, how he could expect to run after the bad guys. Brubaker, a Pennsylvania native and a Army veteran, joined the MPD in 1928. Luis Serrano and Israel Licor, both Miami area residents in their twenties, were stopped by Carberry as their vehicle fit the description of one used in an armed robbery of the Grand Union supermarket on Coral Way and 67th Ave. One of the bandits fired at Carberry, a second year MPD patrolman, wounding the young officer in the shoulder, foot and hand.