Police Chief Forced Out After Drunken Binge
Tacoma's top cop resigns under pressure after Mayor Kandle threatens suspension for public intoxication.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Chief of Police Zwickey has concluded to have his resignation, which he placed in the hands of Mayor Kandle a few days ago, take effect immediately. Mayor Kandle would have suspended the chief forthwith had he not resigned, because Mr. Zwickey, the mayor says, has been drunk within the past two days, and acting in a manner unbecoming an officer. In the first instance the chief would not have resigned. Mayor Kandle announced at the time, the charges of drunkenness would have been investigated thoroughly. Captain Ellis has been appointed to temporarily succeed Zwickey. The mayor will appoint a chief before March 1.
“Mayor Kandle would have suspended the chief forthwith had he not resigned, because Mr. Zwickey, the mayor says, has been drunk within the past two days.”
Public oversight of law enforcement conduct remains a volatile civic issue in the Puget Sound region. This 1891 report shows that even in the early days of Tacoma’s city government, the expectation of professional conduct—and the threat of swift mayoral discipline—was a defining friction point.
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