Guide to the La Crosse, Wisconsin, Police Department Records, 1871-1977

La Crosse Series 003

Table of Contents

Summary Information

Historical Note

Scope and Contents

Administrative Information

Related Materials

Controlled Access Headings

Collection Inventory

Summary Information

Abstract

City of La Crosse Police Department records dating from 1871-1977 include journals and logs such as account books (1929-1941), ambulance log (1926-1946), criminal docket records (1933-1935), daily logs (1898-1954), a log of jail lodgers (1928-1932; 1935-1941), timebooks kept for payroll purposes (1913-1915; 1947-1952), police register of arrests (1913-1918; 1931-1935; 1942-1947), and a record of street lighting (1896-1907). Reports include stolen and lost goods (1871-1908), and several comparison studies of motor vehicle related arrests and accidents. Two external reports (1954 and 1977), are investigations of the department. Miscellaneous materials include a volume of dog licenses or fines (1917), a guest book of an hotel on Pearl Street called the American House (1907-1908), and criminal mugshots (1920s). Lastly there is also a small file on Milton L. Beck, a local man killed in a railway accident in Iowa in 1917.

Collection Title

La Crosse, Wisconsin, Police Department Records

Date of Materials

1871-1977

Creator

La Crosse (Wis.). Police Dept.

Call Number

La Crosse Series 003

Amount

15.0 cubic feet

Physical Description

20 archives boxes, 3 flat boxes, 17 volumes

Language of Materials

English

Repository

La Crosse Public Library Archives

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Historical Note

At the time La Crosse was incorporated as a city in 1856, there was no organized police department. As the city grew, its system of daytime marshals and night watchmen became inadequate to protect the residents. By 1868 La Crosse had acquired a reputation as a wild Mississippi River town and rail center. As a result, in that same year, a group of influential citizens petitioned for a regular full-time police force under a police chief, but the Common Council denied their requests. Finally on April 12, 1870, newly-elected Mayor Theodore Rodolf, fulfilling campaign promises, appointed John Simonton as La Crosse's first police chief.

The office of police chief was at first a political appointment, and the individual selected would often change with each new mayor. The Common Council also maintained control over the police department by controlling salaries and other expenditures. In 1897 the formation of the Police and Fire Commission allowed the police department to loosen some of its political ties with the Common Council.

With the advent of automobiles a separate traffic division was organized to enforce traffic laws and direct traffic. The police department also directed the ambulance service. During the 1960s and 1970s, the police department was surrounded by a great deal of controversy, and undertook a number of investigations and studies. One of these reports (1977) is included.

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Scope and Contents

The records (1871-1977) include journals and logs, reports, and miscellaneous files. The journals and logs include an account book, payroll books, a criminal docket book, daily logs of activities, and an ambulance log book. The account book (1929-1941) contains a monthly summary of bills paid. Information available includes payee and amount paid but not what was paid for. The ambulance log book (1926-1946) records the name of the person transported, the pick-up location, their destination, the names of the doctor and ambulance driver, and a brief description of the call.

The criminal docket gives an account of the disposition of cases which came before the police judge, mostly traffic law violations and drunk and disorderly arrests. No felony cases are included. The daily logs (1898-1954) contain day-by-day brief accounts of arrests and other events. Jail lodgers are simply lists of prisioners (1928-1941). The payroll books (1947-1952) list each employee and the days they worked.

The police register of arrests (1913-1918; 1931-1935; 1942-1947) includes a brief description of the person arrested, what they were carrying or had on them at the time of the arrest and a brief disposition of the case. The street lighting record is from the time when the police were responsible for lighting the gas street lights. Lastly, a traffic violation register (1936-1945) lists the violator alphabetically by the first initial of there last name; therein, chronologically as the traffic violations occurred.

The reports (1954-1977) were prepared by persons employed both inside and outside of the department. Reports produced internally deal with enforcement of traffic laws and generally date from the 1960s. The remainder of the reports are studies done by outside consultants on departmental operations during the 1970s.

The remaining records include mugshots of persons arrested and/or wanted for various crimes. The mugshots are arranged alphabetically by last name and generally date from the 1920s. Information available with each photo consists of suspect’s name, known aliases, physical description, and crimes committed. Another folder includes information about Milton L. Beck, a local man killed in a railway accident in Iowa in 1917.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

La Crosse Public Library Archives 1988-2015

Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for patron use.

Acquisitions Information

(Accession no. 1984.001) Donated by Robert Loeffler, formerly of the Police Department, 1984 February 9

(Accession no. 1999.005) Transferred by Lt. G. J. Kabat of the Police Department, 1999 February 16

(Accession no. 2011.010) Police record of arrests, 1913-1918; 1931-1935; 1942-1947 transferred by Lt. Tom Jacobson of the Police Department, 2011 January 6

Processing Information

Processed by Amy Groskopf, May 1988; and Nancy Steinhoff, Aug. 1990; additions processed by Anita Taylor Doering, April 1999 and February 2015

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Related Materials

Related Materials

(La Crosse Series 002)

 La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Police, Resolutions and Reports Relating to the Police Department

SC 363.2 M333H 1990

 The History of the La Crosse Police Department, 1870-1990 by Daniel Marcou

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Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

• La Crosse (Wis.). Police Dept.

Subject(s)

• Municipal government--Wisconsin--La Crosse
• Police--Records and correspondence--Wisconsin--La Crosse
• Police--Wisconsin--La Crosse
• Public records--Wisconsin--La Crosse

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Collection Inventory