Morrison was convicted, but died before the sentence was carried out. In 1992, MPD Detective Confessor Gonzalez re-interviewed an earlier suspect in LaFleur's murder, who had unexplained gunshot wounds. He had been in jail awaiting trial since the killing. The picnic was financed from proceeds of the annual dance, sponsored by the association. Willford, manager of Saunders store, reported to the police station shortly after the battle. Chief Quigg appoints Grace Tamasy to the position of policewoman in the MPD. He was motivated by six recent deaths caused by drunk drivers, including one of his own police officers, Officer Samuel Hicks. He was the only MPD fatality during this war. 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 offenders were two Ohio white men, Walter C. Valiton, alias William H. Fox, b-1907 and John Naugle, b-1902, of Columbus and Toledo, Ohio. (Miami News, 1935). In the aftermath of that great Hurricane of 1926 that ravaged the south Florida area, the Sheriff of Dade County, Dan Hardie and Chief Leslie Quigg announced. Fame is fleeting though, as a few years later he was beaten and tossed out of the police station by Detective Mitchell. One yeggman dropped in his tracks. 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. "Divorce Police from Booze & Cards is planned". In the meantime, he called the newspaper and told them to send him a reporter and camera man. Sistrunk, Earnest, Sr. (Ed) on beat schedule May 1907. An informant advised John Heywood, a MPD detective, that a 19 year old street tough from Coconut Grove tried selling him the gun. The victim was shot by Wood while in the process of running him out of town. Burlinson, 26, a New Jersey native and a Korean War veteran, joined the MPD in 1954 with Academy Class # 29, three years before he died in the crash on March 8, 1958. 9105 NW 25th Street, Griffin was the commander of the Negro Precinct at that time. The pickpocket problem was solved in downtown. But, this time, all his buddies knew about it - because they had taken him there.". He was hired by City Manager L.L. They all overcame the offender. The author was present during his questioning by our top Homicide Unit investigator, Mike Gonzalez, now the lead officer. On February 19, 1962. He was survived by his wife and two daughters. McCreary and Detective E.W. Phillips, Finch Cochran, Alex Gingras, D.A. Gingras, Lewis Appointed as a MPD officer in 1911. The mainly wooden buildings were soon replaced with brick structures, with the rebuilding commencing while the cinders were still warm. Another suspect, Earnest Washington Hudson, 30, was arrested by MPD Officer Roosevelt Trimble at a gas station several blocks away. (451 words), 180. Persons living in the neighborhood later notified police that shortly after the shooting, one of the gunmen, dragging a confederate, showed up at a filling station at NW Eighth St. Rd. The author was fortunate to have toiled with many honest, intelligent and professional officers. The killing was ruled accidental and no charges were filed. His name will appear many times in these MPD stories. Numerous allegations of corruption surfaced during these times, many of which most likely originated in one of the other camp (districts). Chief Guy Reeve took over a soiled department following the arrest of Chief Quigg and others back in 1928. This 45 man group was also the first integrated unit in Miami Police history, as several black officers (Pete Bryant, Jimmy McCray, Tom Marshall and Sgt. It had been said that he lost much of his savings at the Miami horse and dog tracks. Girtman, John - Acting Marshall, June - Oct. 1899. (Sad story in this chapter about the death of the entire contingent of MPD police horses.) Officer D.D. At West Flagler and 12th Avenue, Officer Samuel J. Callaway, 50, was directing traffic when an auto ran the red light. June 23rd -Desk Sgt John Phillips was demoted for failure to take action on a report that a citizen was contemplating suicide. Purchasers of this publication will not only enjoy our history but will be contributing to the further education of some of our great youth. MPD is the largest municipal police department in Florida. (Miami Herald, -7/6/1954, MPD Vets newsletter). Sawyer, Wilkinson, Rose, and Morris; assisted by uniform officers Haddock and Joe Jenkin. As Carberry approached the car, the suspects began shooting, unaware that assistance had arrived. (Miami Metropolis/News-10/6/1905, & -11/18/1905). (422 words). The suspects were immediately transferred to a jail in Jacksonville as it was feared that a crowd of citizens gathered at the Miami jail would lynch them. After the death of Miami-Dade Police Det. She made her first radio broadcast in 1937, the same day she received her radio license. I called the situation into the complaint room and heard the Ha Ha"s in the back round when the dispatcher said , "WHAT"..I repeated the situation and was told to QRX (stand-by) The two men got to about twenty feet of the 6th floor and ran out of sheets. These men and women came to work daily and did an outstanding job, day in and day out during their 25 or more years of service. officer in the mid 20s until 1930. Hilarious.). John Brubaker, 30, died in a motorcycle crash on March 31, 1933, as he and Officer C.E. South Beat: Officer R.J. Hardee from noon to 8pm, W.J. 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. The same evening, MPD Officer William S. Scott was killed by Officer M.C. Ginsburg went on his way to spout another day. They had been on a Florida crime spree when the encounter with Sgt Wever occurred. McCann, M.T., Appointed Nov. 1913. to 1915. Hepburn then ran eastward on NW 14th Street and confronted Fireman J.T. (449 words), 154. (1,090 words), (Thirty-seven year old Bill Craig, a 14 year veteran Miami police motorcycle officer was struck by a drunk driver on South Dixie in early morning rush hour traffic on March 19, 1988.He died 3 months later. (926 words). Det. MPD Sergeant W. B. Poe was thrown from the motor as he escorted a 100 car motorcade of Klansmen from Miami to Homestead. After several weeks, Branch set up a bombing and Plumacher was supplied with fake dynamite sticks to place at a Jewish leader's home. In late October of 1896, the Commission voted a salary of $50 monthly for the City Marshall position and noted that he would always be on duty. Hepburn shoved the gun into Clay's stomach and fired, but the weapon failed to fire. It was discovered that the owners of these slots contributed heavily to Williams' election campaign. June 10th- Four MPD officers to stand trial for the beating of C.E. Collins, Gerald Baldwin, S.A. Tanner, Hubert Coleman, Cal Davis and R.G. He died in 1944 at the age of 74. Coleman, John F., November of 1905 -May of 1906. She was wearing a flared skirt, a blouse, and a hat. A hearing was held by the City Council and Hardee explained the situation. It was noted that there were 572 applications on file to fill this position. It had crossed the lawn and crashed into the patio in back of 700 S. Alhambra. Note: No reason was stated in the news reports on why McCarthy stepped down. Having inherent faith in the honesty of an individual, I bent down to look under the vehicle to determine the problem.' The case remains unsolved. 6/4/1932 - A MPD police pistol range opened at warehouse 8 of the municipal docks. Huttoe was reinstituted to his previous rank and position in July of 1949. His new movie opened in Miami and all Miami police officers were invited to view the flick. In June of 1915, Lt. McDade was forced to resign by Mayor Watson for conduct unbecoming an officer as a result of displaying his weapon while drunk and disorderly on a train in Key West while off-duty. Wow- I was a bit nervous during the first half thinking about a worst-case scenarios. Some of the results of these actions can be seen from news articles that appeared in the Miami Daily News during that period. A long turbulent investigation resulted in the arrest and release of her grandfather and later her father as well as several other suspects. Gringas, Alex was on-the-job in May of 1912. John Hepburn, 35, opened fire with a 45-caliber automatic toward MPD officers R.B. King, W.H. The Grand Jury made reports on the situation and the newspapers ran stories often. (This friendly fire killing is described in detail in this chapter.) He followed the Pontiac to NW 2nd Street and pulled the car over as two other police cars arrived. In late December of 1969, Poet Alan Ginsburg had a poetry gig at the Marine Stadium on Miami's Rickenbacker Causeway. No days off. (Miami Metropolis/News- Aug 1913), The first motorcycle squad for Miami PD began to train on September 12, 1913, with three or four officers trained to ride a speedometer equipped motorcycle that the City had just purchased. Chief John Cannon. 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. Holton came to work drunk. I've got it on during a tour of duty on the midnight shift. In 1905, Miami opted for a new political scheme that established a Chief of Police position, replacing the Town Marshall as the Citys law enforcer. Exciting day. (A funny story about the authors police academy experience.). scholarship fund. He was suspended 30 days and forced to pay a $240 fine. On July 6, 1954, a six year old girl visiting her grandparents from Baltimore was abducted from her South Bayshore Drive home and killed. Johnson, working the traffic detail downtown, fired four shots from his pistol at two jaywalkers on Flagler Street today. Wilson died at the hospital. He ran for Dade County Sheriff in 1944 and won by a landslide. Marsh, H.H. Also, a former officer named Stenhouse, who had served as Chief Quiggs secretary, was killed by a female acquaintance. (Miami News - 1/16/1950). 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. C.E. He is still going at 90 and we all love him. A couple of minutes later the other driver woke up and left the scene. Headley charged Huttoe for interfering in a case outside his own detective district. (Miami News- 7/13/1941). Officer Schel was transported to nearby Jackson Hospital by one of the arriving zone cars, Al Cinilia, and was later "up and around". Being the book-worm that Steve was, he remembered that the book said to switch to casual conversation after pumping a C.I. Hodges, J.A. Capone told Chief Quigg that "he had no intention of breaking the law in Miami. OFFICER DeLEON KILLED IN HIGH SPEED CHASE. Dillon was the last elected Chief of Police in Miami. A young officer, Jesse Morris, 24, was killed in the line of duty during a shootout on July 8, 1927. Sgt. Looking up, I saw a citizen pointing up to the East Side of the Court House. )(2,923 words). Lt. C.O. (Jack) Clinton was suspended but then sued to regain his job. His first assignment was to the Accident Prevention Unit. The white drivers had the practice of stopping cars driven by blacks (most of them chauffeuring rich northern visitors), demanding that the owners hire a (white) driver while in Miami. The law in Florida previously charged the local Justice of Peace (five in Dade County) with holding preliminary hearings on all death investigations. Later news articles indicated that Potterton was still on the job in 1949 as a Detective Captain. July 19th -The new 79th Street Causeway opened for traffic. As a Task Force supervisor in the late 1960-'s, incidents would occur that would create occasional friction between the 'old guard' and the young 'Turks' on the department. July1905 to 1911. The tips flooded in the next day but each one fizzled despite a large reward being offered that was contributed by the residents of the area that 21 year veteran Stathers patrolled. The . June 18th- Detective Frank Mitchell was fined $250 for hitting a former decorated officer, Norman Franks, breaking his jaw. 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. Auto Theft Detective James Frank Beckham, 29, was shot and killed by a bootlegger about 11 P.M. on February 3rd, 1928. On April 28, 1945, Chief Quigg announced that Marine Guy Cecil Howard was the first Miami PD officer casualty of WW II. A 21 year old rookie officer had planned to take his young girlfriend to a prom that evening, May 23, 1970, but was shot and killed at 3AM in the alley behind the sleazy Imperial Hotel on NW 8th, just off Miami Avenue. Despite a standing reward close to fifty thousand dollars, this vexing case is still only one of two Dade County police officer murders yet unsolved. Pomerleau said he tried to stay neutral in the cold war between the City Manager and the Chief of Police but found the middle ground untenable. The fourth offender escaped. Each has his story. 3/24/1938, A photo in today's paper shows police officer Bob Yancey, Harbor Patrol officer, showing off new equipment - a dive helmet - to perform underwater rescue work. (2,433 words), 27. In January of 1908, one of the City Council members recommended that the police force be reduced to four members from the present six plus the Chief. 142. Lt. Brock was on the scene. He passed away in 2008. (271 words). One shot hit bystander, Mrs. Myers, in the neck, seriously wounding her. 39. Downtown Miami Officer Crown located the offender and arrested him. Roosevelts car, driven by Miami officer Fitzhugh Lee, (who was Chief Quigg's brother-in-law), started forward at the command of the Secret Service agent accompanying the President-elect, but soon stopped on Roosevelts order to check on his friend Cermack. 4/8/1938. While Officer Whitlock was maneuvering to get a better view of the yeggmen in the doorway of the store, the gunmen caught sight of Deputy Barnes. 305-4-POLICE. 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. Wilkerson and John Driggers made several arrests. Gingras, 17 and Charles Shepard, 12, the later two being current police officers with MPD. Most of his assignments during his tenure on the department were in the Traffic Section. upgrading to the latest Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Firefox. On his last week of work, he arranged for a large marijuana purchase. It was his boss, City Manager Howard Gary. The uniforms were grayish brown gabardine in tailored style. The conclusion of both agencies was similar; that Zangara, an uneducated proponent of anarchy, operated alone in this crime. The lead went nowhere. Police took a brief case from Healy containing a supply of anti-Jewish windshield stickers and a pamphlet in German. (MPD records). Chief Ray Dillon became Chief on the first of November. ), (Two snake stories by our in-house snake guy) (1,728 words), SNAKE AT FLA. POWER & LIGHT. It should be read by every staff officer in every U.S. police department as well as our political leaders. 1st Place and 13th Street in Miami. He was buried in Flagler Memorial Park, 5301 W. Flagler Street. Story, (Clarence Dickson made history once again when he was appointed the first Black chief of police in 1988. (Dr. Wilbanks' "Forgotten Heroes", 1996, ), Chief Rowland announced the promotion of Lt. Redman to Captain, and Dick Lemon and Ben Denby to Lieutenant. Chief Headley's reputation was constantly besmirched by Mayor High but big Walter prevailed. Deal with it.). There were no seat belts installed in the police units at that time. In October of 1962, City Manager Mel Reese brought in a tough old Marine Colonel, Donald Pomerleau, as Public Safety Director, the boss of the Chief of Police. Stathers also had a bruised arm twisted back. 22nd Ave and 23 Street, by a close friend as the two were in the process of shooting the friend's sick dog. Wichman, a Miami native and a graduate of Miami High in 1943, had served in the Navy during WW II and seen action at Iwo Jima. I've got mine on and its very uncomfortable. Sheriff Jimmy Sullivan, a former MPD officer, was indicted by the Grand Jury in Dade for aiding racketeers from the S. & G. syndicate. Zangara cried out to the Judge, you are stingy, why dont you make it one hundred? The Judge replied, knowing that the condition of Cermack and Mrs. Gill was critical, stated Perhaps you will get more. (Sarasota Herald Tribune, Miami News, Miami Herald, all 11/4/1927). (NOTE: The only injuries that Miami Police officers received while handling that wild burglary was a minor gun shot wound to Officer Driggers hand and a foot injury to Officer J.O.Barker, who stepped on a broken bottle while chasing the yeggmen (burglars). He was appointed by City Manager L.L. The weapon has never been recovered. (This chapter relates the killing of black officer Jerrel Ferguson in 1962.) Kavanaugh issued an order that allowed drunks to call the police for a free ride home if they thought they were too tipsy to drive. Safety Director Reynolds was ousted and Chief Quigg assumes full command of MPD. 6/17/1938, Officers Harry Fouts and Carl Spense made a quick arrest via a radio BOLO, one of the first using the new two-way radio setup that MPD installed. Periodic checks were made by members of the Safe & Holdup Squad. After years of legal arguing over Garrett's mental capacity, he was finally sentenced to life imprisonment plus 10 years by Judge Ellen Morphonios. ), "It is impossible for me to forget September 2, 1981", (Sad story by Col. Dick Witt on the killing of Officer Nat Broom.) 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. He claimed that he wanted to kill President Hoover in Washington, but that he stayed in the warm Miami weather hoping to cure his stomach ills. The driver, Heanon Arnold, 25, was arrested for manslaughter but no case resolution was located in the records. 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. He was ordered by the commission to never drink again. A subject was arrested when his fingerprints matched a wanted person from another state. Fairbrother and Raleigh Hill. and Sergeant George T. Warner replaced Lindstrom. In 1928 he was rolled back to the Captain rank when Chief Reeves took over the department. At the next two council meetings, Mayor Sewell and Chief Hardee recommended the following permanent police officers to be hired. In 1920, according to the US Census, he was living in Bridgeport, Ct, working at the AT&S Co. Instagram &. 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. Branch was arrested and sentenced to prison. Sgt. Additional annexation will come about in 1925. Some of the individual retires requested that we withhold their identity and we have. Smith, Charles H., Appointed December of 1905. The officer never regained consciousness and died four days later, on September 24th, at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The Miami-Dade Police Department's vision is to be the model law enforcement organization in the nation by blending strategic planning with community concerns. The black community demanded action from the authorities. Mayor Cermack, meanwhile. Pfender, F.H. Miami initiated an active advertising effort in the 1950's and 60-'s in attempt to entice 'snowbirds' to winter in the Miami area. Quiggs petition to the US Supreme Court was denied a hearing and he was retired on a city pension of $85 a month. At a subsequent trial, Niles was convicted of first degree murder which then carried an automatic sentence of execution in Floridas new electric chair. After daybreak, citizens Marvin Bentley and Arthur Gunn discovered a large sack containing $150 in cash and a complete zeggmans equipment. He was survived by his wife, Theresa and two daughters, Doris and Lois. Brautigan first was in charge and later, a young Dick Gerstein took over. Bob Knight, the son of MPD Capt Cecil (Hamp) Knight, later became C/O of the motor squad, and several other commands. (287 words). 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.