T
he
history of the Police Department in Tiffin dates back to 1832 when Harry
Brish became Tiffin's first Marshal but the records are unclear on if he
was elected, appointed, what his duties were, the scope of his authority,
or his working relationship with the elected Sheriff. During its formative
years, Tiffin as other towns struggled to maintain law and order. Although
Marshal Brish may have functioned as Marshal, and there was an elected
Sheriff, most of the area Law Enforcement was controlled by vigilante-type
groups. The Clinton Protective Society was organized in 1846 and the ranks
of its membership swelled until 1886, when three hundred and forty-four
were part of the band.
Responsible and
influential citizens of Tiffin were aware that an orderly transition from
vigilante law to government law was required for the establishment of a
stable law enforcement agency necessary for the growth of a prosperous and
progressive community. In 1851 S.H. Kissinger was the first recorded
Marshal elected in Tiffin (which is comparable to today's Chief of Police)
and the first Police Department was formed. Among its first Patrolmen
were:
- Charles Brish
- George Miller
- Amos Nicholas
- Isaac Robb
- I.J.C. Shoemaker
T
iffin
suffered typical post Civil War economical problems. Thus a Police
Department did not exist from April to November during the year 1872. When
the monetary problems were solved and re-organization took place, the
following three men were listed as its Patrolmen:
- Charles Brish
- James Hennessay
- Isaac Robb
O
ur
earliest known photograph of the Tiffin Police Department Patrolmen (shown
above) is from 1882 and showed the following Patrolmen:
- Charles Brish
- Marshal James George
- Jerome Lamberston
- Pat Sweeney
T
he
first recorded officer duty related death dates back to October 25th,
1895. On this date a man reported to Marshal Shultz that a man was acting
strange with a pistol on a farm North of Tiffin. Marshal Shultz and
Patrolman Sweeney went to that location in a horse drawn buggy. As
reported, Lee Martin was found in a field with a gun in his hand. Marshal
Shultz approached in an attempt to talk to Martin and a scuffle ensued and
shots broke out. Shultz fell to the ground mortally wounded. Patrolman
Sweeney subdued Martin and placed the dying Marshal into the buggy and
raced back to Tiffin. Marshal Shultz succumbed to his injuries and Martin
was brought to trial on June 3rd, 1896 and Judge Schuffleburger ordered
his execution by hanging for the murder.
At the turn of the
century there can be noted little change within the procedures and
activity of law enforcement in Tiffin. However, there was one major
exception in 1903, the first City Civil Service Board was established. The
first Chief of Police, Claude Myers was chosen along with eleven other
Patrolmen.
On
March 29th, 1908 another in the line of duty death was recorded. Patrolman
Pat Sweeney, while making his appointed rounds, happened to come across a
burglary in progress. Two ladies observed Patrolman Sweeney climb the
stairs of the Breckley Grocery Store at N. Washington St. and Harrison St.
Shortly thereafter shots were heard coming from the store. A man was
observed fleeing the store and also fired on the two ladies but missed.
Patrolman Sweeney was found, felled by bullets, and was carried into
Brick's Saloon. A doctor was summoned and he advised that Patrolman
Sweeney be transferred to St. Vincent's Hospital in Toledo. Patrolman
Sweeney was then taken by train to Toledo and surgery was performed in an
attempt to save his life, but he died the next day. But before his death
he gave the prosecuting attorney a statement accusing "Butch" Huffman, a
felon who had recently been released from prison in Columbus, and a man
that Patrolman Sweeney had sent there as the one that had shot him.
Pictures of Huffman were circulated, but the man that had snuffed out the
life of a veteran Policeman of thirty-four years on the Tiffin Police
Department, was never found.
By 1915, the Tiffin
Police Department had a vehicle which was driven by Motorcop, Heilman. The
department had a total man power of twelve patrolmen, which were paid an
average of $1,000 per year. Locally and nationally there was restlessness
(war being imminent between the U.S.A. and Germany) and economic strain
was noted. In 1916 tempers were flaring and at times the influence of the
prohibition advocates were being felt. November 17th, 1916, Chief Myers
was arrested and charged with being drunk by Patrolman Brayman. Chief
Myers countered by saying that he was going hunting. Motorcop Heilman was
appointed Acting Chief of Police. December 6th, 1916, Chief Myers was
suspended officially by the Civil Service Commission. He fought the case,
but left the department March 1917.
By the beginning of
the Roaring Twenties, new faces had been added to the Tiffin Police
Department and some other faces were no longer seen. Chief Heilman had
retired and Chief Bordner was his replacement. Many officers remained with
the force a short time. The average tenure was approximately three years.
This was due for the most part because of a salary lower than the rest of
the community and hours of twelve hours on duty and twelve hours off duty,
six days a week.
November 11th,
1924, the City of Tiffin purchased their first technological leap for the
Tiffin Police Department. Call Boxes were purchased to aid the Patrolmen
on their beat, enabling them to better communicate with the Police
Station. The latter days or 1924 saw criminalistics used in Tiffin for the
first time to solve a robbery. Bloody fingerprints were found at the scene
of a robbery at Balls & Hooks. Subsequently, the detection and arrest of
one of the robbers came about because of the fingerprints.
In September 1929,
Chief Mutchler ordered a firming up of the Police Departments Rules &
Regulations and activities. He ordered his Patrolmen to crack down on all
types of violations.
John Dillinger and
his gang robbed a bank in Fostoria in 1933 and headed for Tiffin on Route
18. Chief Fraley and Patrolman Kenneth Griffis set up a road block on
Route #18 and awaited the gang's arrival but they never showed up.
Also in 1933 the
Ohio State Patrol completed its first training school at Camp Perry. Col.
Black led this first group on a parade through Tiffin.
In 1938
construction on a new Municipal Building was started for the city and it
was decided that the Police Department would also be housed in it. In
March of 1940 the Police Department moved into it's new location. In
addition to new quarters the Police Department now had a talking radio on
the A.M. band and the call letters were WTOP. This system later was
upgraded to F.M. in 1943 with the call letters of KQB 396.
Chief Mutchler
resigned in 1942 after 34 years of law enforcement service and Harold J.
Fraley was selected as the new Chief of Police. Chief Fraley began by
initiating new policies and procedures. During these war years new
procedures had to be implemented. On April 16th, 1946 started a written
complaint report system that was in effect for nearly 5 decades.
In the early 1950's
Chief Fraley started the Tiffin Police Department's own police school. New
Patrolmen received sixteen weeks of intensive training. This was a major
accomplishment and Tiffin was the first department of it's size in the
State of Ohio to operate it's own school.
By the mid 1950's
war was again on the minds of Americans. Crime rates soared rapidly.
Tiffin Patrolmen still worked 44 hours a week and received special
training in fingerprinting, criminal investigating, disaster service, and
the use of the drunkometer as alcohol abuse was on the rise. Also during
this time the younger generation began to rebel against authority. Since
Law Enforcement represented authority, many cases at this time was
directly related to this rebellion.
In 1957 the rank of
Sergeant was added to the Tiffin Police Department and the first three
Patrolmen that were selected were: Englehart, Griffis, and Fisher. During
this same year the 44 hour a week workload was lowered to the now standard
40 hours a week. By 1958 the department had grown to 25 men, 3 cruisers,
and 2 motorcycles.
June 1969 brought
about the creation of the Criminal Division by Chief Fraley who was able
to foresee the future and the need for a separate investigative unit. Not
long after in 1971 a grant was approved for the establishment of another
special division. The Youth Services Division came into being at no extra
cost to the local taxpayers.
In the fall of
1972, Sergeant R.F. Wilson was appointed to the duties of photography and
identification. A federal Grant was obtained and a laboratory was built
with the latest equipment. Over 10,000 pictures were taken in the first
year.
By 1973 the Police
Department's building was almost 40 years old and concern about the
physical structure caused a major renovation to take place. Lt. Dale
Griffis was assigned to this task. By 1974 major construction had started
and Patrolmen had to work around the debris. The 1939 appearance of the
building was gradually fading away and work was completed in 1974.
Today
T
he City
of Tiffin has tried to keep pace with the times and the citizens of Tiffin
are now protected by state of the art technologies. New Police Cruisers,
computers, better trained and qualified personnel, a K-9 unit, bicycle
patrol, D.A.R.E. Officers, as well as a team of tactical police and
negotiators who are trained and equipped to handle most any given
situation.
Today's uniform is
a bit more relaxed, the lapel coats are gone, the pants and shirts are a
dark navy blue color. A tie is still worn during the cold
weather months or with a long-sleeve shirt, although a navy blue dickey
with the initials "TPD" is optional. The hat is now optional wear while on
duty although it is still required for parades and special functions.
In the past one
hundred and fifty years the Tiffin Police Department has come from virtual
non-existence to the status of being one of the best equipped and
efficient organizations ready to meet the challenging needs of policing. In December 1999 the department underwent a
remodeling process that lasted until June of 2000.
Today the Chief of
Police is assisted by 3 Lieutenants, 5 Sergeants, 22 Officers,
Civilian Clerks, Civilian Dispatchers, and a Police Reserve. The equipment
consists of patrol cars, detective cars, a
K9 car, Police Bike's, Mobile Data in-car computers, Computer Aided Dispatch, E-911, in
car State LEADS checks, video surveillance and other new technologies.
These are all employed to protect the citizens of Tiffin.
We hope you have
enjoyed this brief history of the Tiffin Police Department and we
encourage you to find out more about not only the Tiffin Police
Department's history but the City of Tiffin's history also at the Tiffin
Seneca County Library.
