Seattle Police Department
Named in 24 stories. Back to all names
- Jun 8, 1878The Boys of Seattle’s Waterfront: A Victorian-Era Public NuisanceIn June 1878, Seattle’s civic leaders were up in arms over a group of boys bathing in the nude near the coal bunkers, marking an early clash between rustic freedom and a modernizing, ‘respectable’ city.Seattle, WA
- Feb 5, 1885The Mysterious Blast at the WaterfrontA loud explosion near the Seattle waterfront panicked residents, leaving authorities to discover nothing but a pile of burning rags.Columbia Street, Seattle, WA
- May 14, 1885The Minister and the Mayor: A Scandal of Official PowerSeattle's Police Chief used his office to launch a secret investigation into a local minister, only to find the community he queried was on the preacher's side.Seattle, WA
- Jul 9, 1885The Scandal of Chief WooleryA scathing 1885 editorial accuses Seattle's Chief of Police of protecting gambling dens and brothels while posing as a moral martyr.Washington Street, Seattle, WA
- Jul 11, 1885The Women Who Stormed the Police Chief’s OfficeIn 1885, a group of Seattle women, frustrated by official corruption and the unchecked influence of saloons and gambling dens, launched a moral crusade to demand a new Chief of Police.Seattle, WA
- Jul 7, 1888The Police Chief Who Couldn't Keep OrderFor two years, Seattle's police force has been mired in incompetence and apathy under a Chief who avoids the law.Seattle, WA
- Jul 8, 1889The Loot Stashed in the Shadows of the Great Seattle FireWhile the city scrambled to recover from the devastation of the Great Fire, scavengers used the chaos as cover to plunder private homes.Second Street, Seattle, WA
- Jul 19, 1889The Midnight Raid on the TenderloinSeattle Police Chief Butterfield leads a coordinated strike on the city's red-light district, resulting in mass arrests and a violent encounter.Seattle, WA
- Jan 12, 1891The Mysterious Girl at Police HeadquartersA young girl is found alone in Seattle, sparking a quiet investigation into a suspected abduction.Seattle, WA
- Mar 20, 1892The Midnight Raid on Seattle's Gambling HallsA surprise police sweep through Seattle's gaming dens sends hundreds of players scrambling into the rainy streets, leaving gambling tools and jail cells in their wake.Washington Street & 2nd Ave S, Seattle, WA
- Feb 26, 1893Judge Rebukes Police for Secret Dungeon MethodsA citizen is released after being held incommunicado for days, sparking a public outcry over lawless police tactics.Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA
- Feb 20, 1894The Plot to Rob Lou GrahamPolice thwart a desperate plan by criminals to hold up the city's most famous madam for her diamonds.Washington Street, Seattle, WA
- Feb 21, 1894The City’s First 'Rogues’ Gallery'Seattle police modernize their pursuit of criminals by introducing systematic photography to document the local jailbird population.Seattle, WA
- Aug 27, 1894The Chief Says the Victims Were DrunkTwo men said they were robbed and ignored by Seattle police. Chief Enright answered with a saloon-to-alley account of drink, deeds, and a woman called 'Big Six.'Seattle, WA
- Jan 23, 1895Seattle's Vagrancy Sweep: Work, Leave Town, or JailA late-night police roundup netted more than thirty tramps, beggars, and tinhorn gamblers, who were given a lecture and a three-way choice: work, leave town, or jail.Seattle, WA
- Mar 31, 1899The Whistle That Broke a Marriage: A Trainer’s Flight from His Own SchemeWhen Alfred Nickella’s wife bought a police whistle to protect herself from his threats, the device backfired spectacularly, sending the horse trainer fleeing Seattle in haste.Seattle, WA
- May 18, 1899The 'Top and Bottom' StingA traveler is swindled out of his savings by a gang of con artists on a Seattle sidewalk, sparking a city-wide police sweep.Seattle, WA
- Jul 22, 1899The Alarmist OfficerA Seattle patrolman's attempt to slack off duty by pulling a fake fire alarm led to a public scandal and the end of his career.Pike Street, Seattle
- Aug 4, 1899The Judge Bans Messenger Boys from Seattle's Vice DistrictDeclaring an end to the era of 'errand boys' carrying notes and parcels into houses of ill-repute, a local judge mandates a crackdown on child labor in the red-light district.Seattle, WA
- Aug 17, 1899The City's Indecent AmbulanceA delayed ambulance and a harrowing scene on the city streets reveal the crumbling state of Seattle's emergency services in 1899.Seattle, WA
- Aug 22, 1899The Seattle Police 'Missing Persons' BulletinIn an era before global telecommunications, a desperate column in the Seattle press served as a human switchboard for families separated by the Alaska gold rush, the Klondike fever, and the transience of a booming frontier town.Seattle, WA
- Jun 6, 1903The Paid Informer of SeattleSeattle Police Chief Sullivan faces scrutiny after admitting to employing a convicted career burglar as a paid police informant.Seattle, WA
- Sep 29, 1916The Raid on Occidental AvenueSeattle police stage a dramatic basement breach to dismantle a gambling operation.Occidental Avenue, Seattle, WA
- Sep 29, 1916Underground Gambling Ring Broken in SeattlePolice used sledgehammers to breach a hidden gaming den connected by a long tunnel.Occidental Avenue, Seattle, WA