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The Hanging of Thomas Brown, 1889
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When Moorhead became a city in 1881, M.E. Eustis became the first chief of police. During these years there occurred
a few irregularities in the city's routine of business. On April 6, 1882, a grand jury brought an indictment against
Chief Eustis for embezzlement. There had been a robbery at the Bramble House which netted the robber $103. He was
apprehended and the money confiscated, but the chief neglected to turn it over to the court.
H.E. Healy served from March 1882 to November 1882 and P.J. Sullivan from 1882 to 1892. According to the Moorhead
Evening News, on July 1, 1883 "The City fathers and guardians of the citizen's welfare decided to turn the convict
labor, which whiskey and judicious police kept the city well supplied with, to the betterment of the city's
thoroughfares, thus saving the city a large expense."
In August 1883 Moorhead's policemen demanded an increase in salaries. On August 6 the city council met to consider
the matter but took no action. The next morning the policemen marched to the city hall and laid down their arms,
leaving the city without police protection. Since there were no officers, one of the commissioners had to take the
"chain gang" out for exercise. One of the boys made a break for liberty and Dakota, achieving
both. A special meeting was held by the council and the policemen were given $10 a month raise. They returned to
their jobs and equilibrium was restored.
Bernt Elsted served as acting chief to 1896 and continued on the force as a patrolman to 1918. Nels Holbeck was
chief from 1896 to 1898 and Thomas L. Murphy from 1898 to 1899 and 1901 to 1902. When Tom Murphy became chief,
the police made their "flying trips' on bicycles; however, "not all of the policemen were regular riders."
Ole E. Melvey was chief from 1903 to 1910, his brother Peter E. Melvey from 1910 to 1911 and A.J. O'Laughlin from
1911 to 1929 and again from 1922 to 1950. Chief O'Laughlin, the source of the above information, said that other
early police chiefs were Sig Erickson, C.H. Knapp, and J.B. Erickson.
In 1929 the police department was placed under a civil service plan to conform to the law passed by the state
legislature.
Plans and hopes for a new jail facility had been going on since 1943, to replace the decrepit building at Fourth
Street, north of Center Avenue.
The jail was officially closed in July 1966 and arrangements were made with the Clay County Law Enforcement Center
at 807 North Tenth Street to house city prisoners. The old building was still used as police headquarters, with
some remodeling.
L.H. Bielfeldt was chief of police from 1947 to 1965. Captain Hubert Warren served as acting chief from April 1965
through July 1966. On August 1, 1966 James R. Dickinson was appointed chief of police and public safety director.
He had previously served on the Minneapolis police force for eleven years.
A new city police building was constructed adjoining the Clay County Law Enforcement Center to the East; the Moorhead
police moved in in August 1973. Many city and county functions are now cooperative.
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