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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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178 results for: Police and Law Enforcement

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Image of Man stacking radios surrendered by Japanese Americans, Seattle, December 29, 1941
Photograph

Man stacking radios surrendered by Japanese Americans, Seattle, December 29, 1941

On February 19, 1942, shortly after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and United States entry into WWII, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, calling for the exclusion of all civilians of Japanese descent from "designated military areas." More than 9,000 Japanese and Japanese American people living in the Pacific Northwest were forced into incarceration at camps in Idaho and…
ID Number:PI28032
Date:1942
Image of Two policemen posting Civilian Exclusion Order No. 17, Seattle, June 16, 1942
Photograph

Two policemen posting Civilian Exclusion Order No. 17, Seattle, June 16, 1942

In this image two Seattle Police officers, J. O. Deng and A. N. Barger post copies of Civilian Exclusion Order No. 17. Exclusion Order notices were posted on buildings, billboards, telephone poles, and other high visibility spots within the exclusion area. The notice announced the exclusion of Japanese Americans and gave them one week to prepare. A member of each…
ID Number:PI28061
Date:1942
Image of Members of Seattle Police Department, Ballard Station, April, 1913
Photograph

Members of Seattle Police Department, Ballard Station, April, 1913

Ballard was an independent city from its incorporation in 1890, until a vote to annex to Seattle passed 996 to 874 on November 6, 1906. On May 29, 1907, the City of Ballard officially became simply Ballard, a neighborhood of Seattle.In the 1910s, Seattle had neighborhood police headquarters in Ballard, West Seattle, Columbia City, Densmore (now Wallingford), and Georgetown. This…
ID Number:SHS2273
Date:1913
Image of Police Dept. First and Third Patrol officers posing, Seattle, April 1912
Photograph

Police Dept. First and Third Patrol officers posing, Seattle, April 1912

Police departments in metropolitan areas often utilize officers to patrol assigned beats throughout the community. At the time this photograph was taken, the Seattle Police Department had at least three shifts of patrols.This photo shows the uniformed officers of SPD's First and Third Patrol, posing together on the street near C. L. Hazzard's Grocery store at 524 Ninth Avenue, in…
ID Number:SHS5235
Date:1912
Image of Seattle Police Department First Patrol, November 11, 1919
Photograph

Seattle Police Department First Patrol, November 11, 1919

Police departments in metropolitan areas often utilize officers to patrol assigned beats throughout the community. At the time the photograph pictured here was taken, the Seattle Police Department had two shifts of patrols, the First Patrol and the Second Patrol.This photo shows the First Patrol standing outside the Police Headquarters Building at Yesler Way and Fourth Avenue. None of the…
ID Number:SHS5248
Date:1919
Image of Seattle Police Department officers sitting for portrait, August 21, 1891
Photograph

Seattle Police Department officers sitting for portrait, August 21, 1891

The Seattle Police Department was officially organized on June 2, 1869, and law enforcement in Seattle began with election of a town marshal, John Tenny Jordan (1832-1886), a stonemason originally from Maine who later served as the city's mayor. By 1890 the city's population had grown to 42,837, and the police force had grown to include the officers pictured here:…
ID Number:SHS6963
Date:1891
Image of Policemen's Ball attendees at Armory, Seattle, February 21, 1911
Photograph

Policemen's Ball attendees at Armory, Seattle, February 21, 1911

Seattle's Policemen's Ball was held annually from at least 1899 to benefit the Seattle Police Relief Association (also called the Policemen's Benevolent Association). The association used funds raised for the pensioning of police officers injured in the line of duty or for the funeral expenses of those who died while members of the force. The photograph shown here was taken…
ID Number:SHS7850
Date:1911
Image of Motorcycle police squad outside station, Seattle, October 22, 1914
Photograph

Motorcycle police squad outside station, Seattle, October 22, 1914

In early 1910, the Seattle police department invested $1,329 in its first three motorcycles, with seven patrolman selected as the first members of the "motor cops" squad. In this 1914 photo, a motorcycle squad of 15 officers shows off its new Indian brand motorcycles. Executives of the Seattle Police Department stand to the right of the fleet: left to right,…
ID Number:SHS16707
Date:1914
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