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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Secretary of Police Charles S. Smith, Badge Number 6
Written by Cleveland Police Historical Society and Museum volunteer Commander Robert Cermak, Ret. Originally posted on 02 February 2021 @ 06:00
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Heroes Roll Call: Our February Heroes
The Cleveland Police Museum in honored to tell the stories of our Fallen Officers on the anniversaries of their End of Watch. These officers made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting…
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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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Heroes Roll Call: Our January Heroes
The Cleveland Police Museum in honored to tell the stories of our Fallen Officers on the anniversaries of their End of Watch. These officers made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting…
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Eliot Ness’s “Save a Life for Christmas” campaign
When Eliot Ness became Cleveland’s Public Safety Director, Cleveland had the highest traffic fatality rate in the country. Ness developed a four-pronged approach to address this sad safety record: creation…
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The First Mr. Jingeling
Did you know that the very first Mr. Jingeling was a Cleveland Police Officer? Seems that back in the day, many of the department stores in downtown Cleveland used Police…
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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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