Law enforcement in Tampa was first established in 1885. At that time, an act to incorporate the city included the creation of a City Marshall position. Back then, part of the City Marshall’s duties included “...examining and recording marks and brands on butchered cattle.”
Thirty-one years later, an official police force was established by city ordinance. This small force included a Chief of Police (who replaced the City Marshall), an Assistant Chief, a Sergeant, and three mounted officers. On September 26, 1895, John McCormick became the first police officer to die in the line of duty.
After another one hundred years had passed, a group of modern day officers came together to formulate a plan to recognize those who had died on the job and to create a museum that would teach the public about the science of policing. While the official opening occurred in 1998, the actual collection of items that would go into the museum began forty years earlier. Some of those items dated back to the 19th century.
Tampa artist, J.J. Watts, created the Memorial to Fallen Officers. It consists of a cut-out silhouette of a uniformed officer, symbolizing his/her being missing from the department, family and friends. This Memorial stands in the old Line-up room , which also served as the Detective Division’s roll-call room, on the ground floor of the Head Quarters building.
We have visited a number of museums dedicated to law enforcement in our travels. Tampa’s is a well done, professional looking depository.
Thirty-one years later, an official police force was established by city ordinance. This small force included a Chief of Police (who replaced the City Marshall), an Assistant Chief, a Sergeant, and three mounted officers. On September 26, 1895, John McCormick became the first police officer to die in the line of duty.
After another one hundred years had passed, a group of modern day officers came together to formulate a plan to recognize those who had died on the job and to create a museum that would teach the public about the science of policing. While the official opening occurred in 1998, the actual collection of items that would go into the museum began forty years earlier. Some of those items dated back to the 19th century.
Tampa artist, J.J. Watts, created the Memorial to Fallen Officers. It consists of a cut-out silhouette of a uniformed officer, symbolizing his/her being missing from the department, family and friends. This Memorial stands in the old Line-up room , which also served as the Detective Division’s roll-call room, on the ground floor of the Head Quarters building.
We have visited a number of museums dedicated to law enforcement in our travels. Tampa’s is a well done, professional looking depository.
Created and opened in 1998, the Police Museum is located as part of Tampa’s Police Headquarters.
Some of the items on display began to be collected in the late 1950’s, forty years before the creation of the museum.
The collections include some old items...
...and some new.
In 1934, John Dillinger was placed on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list.This circular from the Illinois State Bureau of Criminal Identifcation and Investigation was distributed to local police departments around the country.
What did she do to land behind bars?
A 1940’s archival photo of Tampa’s Detective Squad.
In a previous blog piece, we had posted about meeting the 59th Mayor of Tampa, Jane Castor (elected in 2019)....
....At that time, we had learned that Ms. Castor had served 31 years on the Tampa Police Force (1984 to 2015), the last six years as its Chief of Police.
Situated on the ground floor of Tampa’s Police Headquarters is this memorial to its fallen officers, created by artist J.J. Watts.
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