Fifth District: 1938 to 2020
In 1938, Safety Director Eliot Ness implemented an extensive reorganization of the Cleveland Police Department. The 11th Precinct building, located at 1963 East 105th Street, was designated as the Headquarters…
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Fourth District: 1938 – today
In 1938, Safety Director Eliot Ness reorganized the police force, transforming what had been eighteen precincts into five districts, which were further divided into 32 zones. The newly formed 4th…
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Police Beat: Cleveland Police on the Radio
Always in the forefront of new ideas and technology, the Cleveland Division of Police created another “first” when they partnered with WJW radio and the Euclid Avenue Business Association to…
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1918 Influenza Pandemic in Cleveland
After voluntary closures and suggested social isolation proved unsuccessful in keeping the case numbers down, the city and county mandated closures and quarantines. Calling the pandemic “the most serious menace…
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Police Buildings: Women’s Bureau HQ/18th Precinct from 1925-1953, 3735 Cedar Avenue
That same year, the City of Cleveland started the process of purchasing the old hospital building to serve as “a new detention home for girls and headquarters” for the newly…
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John Anderson, #175: Cleveland’s First Black Police Sergeant and Lieutenant
Patrolman Anderson demonstrated his marksmanship capabilities one morning while off duty. Contacted at 6 o’clock at his residence, to a mad dog threatening workers and neighbors on nearby Quincy Street,…
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Lloyd Patterson: Cleveland’s First Black Deputy Chief
Lloyd Patterson was born to Ambrose and Willa Byrd Patterson in 1931. They resided in Cleveland, Ohio, living at 8128 Central Ave. and 6005 Quincy Ave. Lloyd attended the Cleveland…
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Cops with Hops: Cleveland Police playing basketball
In 2022, the NBA All Star Game returned to Cleveland. Our Cleveland Police are no strangers to the hardwood. Since at least 1935, Cleveland police officers have excelled on and…
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Patrolman William M. Tucker, #45: Cleveland’s First Black Police Officer
Wiggins’ research revealed that Officer Tucker headed north after the Civil War. On the way, he met Colonel John F. Herrick, Commander of the Twelfth Ohio Calvary. Colonel Herrick offered…
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Introducing “Nitro Nelly”: Portable Bomb Shield
When Richard R. Wagner was appointed Chief of the Cleveland Division of Police, one of his goals was ensure that his officers had the safest equipment available. To that end,…
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Third District Headquarters: 1938 to today
When Eliot Ness reorganized the police department in 1938, he transitioned the force from what had been eighteen precincts into five, larger districts, which were further divided into 32 zones.…
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A century in the saddle: Cleveland Mounted Police Unit has performed, protected, and saved lives
This article originally was published in FreshWater Cleveland’s Feb. 20 edition. Tom Matowitz writes Cleveland Masterworks for FreshWater every Thursday. Author Thomas Matowitz is on the Board of Trustees for the Cleveland Police…
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Traffic Unit: The Corner Men, Part 7
In 1921 the Cleveland Plain Dealer introduced to their readers the Cleveland Police Officers assigned the difficult task of directing vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the city each day. They…
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Traffic Unit: The Corner Men, Part 6
In 1921 the Cleveland Plain Dealer introduced to their readers the Cleveland Police Officers assigned the difficult task of directing vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the city each day. They…
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The History of Commando, the Cleveland Police Museum’s horse
In 1983, Schneider’s Saddlery and Western Wear donated a black horse mannequin to the Cleveland Police Museum for a Mounted Unit exhibit titled “Working Partners”. The mannequin, a hollow fiberglass…
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