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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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39 results for: Police and Law Enforcement

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Image of Microphone used by Elise Olmstead in the very first broadcast in Seattle, ca. 1925

Microphone used by Elise Olmstead in the very first broadcast in Seattle, ca. 1925

Elise Olmstead, originally from England, was the second wife of Roy Olmstead, one of the most notorious bootleggers in King County during the Prohibition years of the 1920s. In October of 1924, the couple started a radio station called KFQX. There was a studio in the Smith Tower but mostly Elise did the broadcast from their Mt. Baker home. The…
ID Number:2007.1.154.1
Date:Circa 1925
Image of Drawing of Luke May by Tom Renton, ca. 1930s

Drawing of Luke May by Tom Renton, ca. 1930s

Luke May (1892-1965) came to Seattle in 1919. He was given the nickname "America's Sherlock Holmes" because he was an early scientific detective - one of the first to provide forensic and scientific methods as part of crime investigation. In 1922, he debuted his invention, the "Revelareoscope," a giant microscope that could project images of more than one object or…
ID Number:2009.36.3
Date:Circa 1930
Image of Caricature on wood of Luke May, ca. 1950s

Caricature on wood of Luke May, ca. 1950s

Luke May (1892-1965) came to Seattle in 1919. He was given the nickname "America's Sherlock Holmes" because he was an early scientific detective - one of the first to provide forensic and scientific methods as part of crime investigation. In 1922, he debuted his invention, the "Revelareoscope", a giant microscope that could project images of more than one object or…
ID Number:2009.36.5
Date:Circa 1950
Image of Coffee mug featuring the WTO conference in a cyclone, given as gift from the Seattle Police Department to conference worker, L.A. McNeal, 1999

Coffee mug featuring the WTO conference in a cyclone, given as gift from the Seattle Police Department to conference worker, L.A. McNeal, 1999

This artifact is part of a collection of items donated by someone who worked for the Seattle World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference, a heavily protested event held in the Seattle Convention Center in November 1999. This mug, showing a chaotic swirl around the Space Needle, was a gift from the Seattle Police Department.
ID Number:2013.84.3
Date:Circa 1999
Image of Seattle Police Department jacket worn by Captain Jim Pugel during the World Trade Center (WTO) conference and protests in Seattle, 1999

Seattle Police Department jacket worn by Captain Jim Pugel during the World Trade Center (WTO) conference and protests in Seattle, 1999

The Third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) was held in Seattle from November 30 to December 3, 1999. Tens of thousands of activists for many causes gathered to protest what they saw as the WTO's favoring of corporate interests over social and environmental concerns. Jim Pugel served as a Captain in charge of all of the police…
ID Number:2013.109.1
Date:1999
Image of Gas mask and carrying case used by Captain Jim Pugel during the World Trade Center (WTO) conference and protests in Seattle, 1999

Gas mask and carrying case used by Captain Jim Pugel during the World Trade Center (WTO) conference and protests in Seattle, 1999

During the WTO conference and protests in Seattle in 1999, Jim Pugel served as a Captain in charge of all of the police in downtown that week, and was intensely involved in the activities that occurred during that time. He later served as Interim Chief of Police of the Seattle Police Department from 2013-2014.
ID Number:2013.109.2
Date:Circa 1999
Image of Street sign for Union Way, temporarily posted on Pine Street during the World Trade Center (WTO) conference in Seattle, 1999

Street sign for Union Way, temporarily posted on Pine Street during the World Trade Center (WTO) conference in Seattle, 1999

The Third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) was held in Seattle from November 30 to December 3, 1999. Tens of thousands of activists for many causes gathered to protest what they saw as the WTO's favoring of corporate interests over social and environmental concerns. Heavy police response included the use of riot gear, tear gas, and rubber…
ID Number:2013.109.3
Date:1999
Image of Empty bag of Doritos brand tortilla chips which was handed out by the Seattle Police Department during Hempfest Seattle, 2013

Empty bag of Doritos brand tortilla chips which was handed out by the Seattle Police Department during Hempfest Seattle, 2013

Individual bags of Doritos brand tortilla chips were handed out by the Seattle Police Department during Hempfest Seattle 2013. each bag featured a helpful and humorous SPD sticker about the Do's and Don'ts of Initiative 502 on marijuana reform.
ID Number:2014.107.1
Date:2013
Image of Signature petition for Initiative 502: Marijuana: Tax and Control, 2012

Signature petition for Initiative 502: Marijuana: Tax and Control, 2012

This is a campaign signature petition for the I-502 Washington State initiative to legalize recreational marijuana. The initiative was voter-approved and became law in 2012. The measure licenses and regulates marijuana production, distribution, and possession for persons over twenty-one; removes state-law criminal and civil penalties for activities that it authorizes; taxes marijuana sales; and earmarks marijuana-related revenues.
ID Number:2015.46.2
Date:2012
Image of Blackjack or billy club, ca. 1919

Blackjack or billy club, ca. 1919

Billy club used by Seattle police patrol officer, William J. Richmire, ca. 1919.
ID Number:2015.62.1
Date:Circa 1919
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