Prowl car and radio station, Times, Earl Floathe. Officer Robert Gibbs speaks into the microphone of the accident prevention car of the Tacoma Police Department as driver J.E. Steele and Robert S. Temme, Commissioner of Public Safety, stand by outside the police department garage.

Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma); Gibbs, Robert; Steele, J.E.; Temme, Robert S.; Police surveillance--Tacoma--1940-1950; Police--Tacoma--1940-1950; Communication devices;

A roll of knotted bed sheets remains dangling from a window at the jail in the Public Safety Building, 621 Pacific Ave., on July 3, 1950. Federal prisoner Stanley P. O'Carter, age 34 of Phoenix, Arizona, made a daring attempt at escape from the multi-floored jail at 3:50 a.m. that morning. Only by chance was he captured as Officers Ed Cutler and Robert Hubert were passing nearby in the darkness at the time Mr. Carter dropped 12 feet onto the ground from the makeshift "ladder." Mr. Carter was one of only three federal prisoners in the government tank and had been alone in his cell for several days. It was believed that tools smuggled to him enabled him to cut a hole through the back of his cell and allowed him access to a small unbarred ventillating window on the north side of the building, immediately above the driveway. No tools were found on the prisoner nor in his cell. Mr. Carter did not resist arrest and was returned to the jail. (TNT 7-4-50, p. 1-article) TPL-6665

Public Safety Building (Tacoma); Prison escapes--Tacoma; Jails--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Tacoma Police Department swing shift. The swing shift shows off the whiskers that they have grown for the Northwest Territory Centennial beard contest.

Police--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Tacoma Police Department graveyard shift on the Spanish Steps at the Elks lodge. Police officers display beards and mustaches in keeping with the request for Tacoma men not to shave during the month of August. The city sponsored a beard contest as a part of the ceremonies celebrating the Northwest Territory Centennial. TPL-8748

Police--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Tacoma's finest, along with their vehicles, stand alertly outside the Public Safety Building/City Hall Annex on August 29, 1953. They were members of the Tacoma Police Department's Motorcycle division. TPL-7118

Police--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma); Public Safety Building (Tacoma); City Hall Annex (Tacoma); Motorcycles--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Tacoma Police Department, Motorcycle Division. Some of the officers are bearded or mustached in support of the Northwest Territory Centennial beard growing contest. TPL-6490

Police--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma);

Penitentiary at McNeil Island. Located 2.8 miles from Steilacoom in the Carr Inlet, McNeil Island has the distinction of being the only prison in the U.S. that started out as a territorial prison, became a federal penitentiary and finally became a state corrections center. It is also the last prison in North America located on an island accessible only by boat. Named in 1841 after William Henry McNeill, boat captain for the Hudson's Bay Company and founder of Victoria, British Columbia, it was homesteaded by Ezra Meeker in 1853. The Federal government purchased 27 acres of the island in 1870 to build a territorial prison. The prison opened in 1875. In 1937, the entire island was purchased by the federal government and all homesteaders were forced to vacate. In 1970, the Federal government decided to close the prison and the state of Washington negotiated to take over the facilities. In 1981, the prison complex was transferred to the Washington State Department of Corrections and became the McNeil Island Corrections Center. TPL-9292

Prisons--McNeil Island; McNeil Island Corrections Center (McNeil Island);

City manager David Rowlands (second from left) and Police Chief Roy Kerr pose with visiting Vietnamese Army officers Lts. Nguyen Ngcoc Tien, 26, and Pham Ngoc Thinh, 32, in August of 1960. The visitors, representatives of the civil guard of the Vietnam National police forces, were in Tacoma to take a two week police training course before returning home. They had spent most of the year studying police work back East. (TNT 8-16-60, p. 2-article)

Foreign visitors--Vietnam; Rowlands, David; Kerr, Roy; Municipal officials--Tacoma--1960-1970; Police--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma); Law enforcement training--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Back of Photo:
New Correction Center

On January 12, 1965, Tacoma police counted coins from five confiscated slot machines on a makeshift table in the basement of the County City Building. According to a News Tribune article the following day, Detective Ritchie Mace, City Prosecutor Jack Majeres and Captain John Gookins tallied the coins from slot machines seized in a September 15, 1964, raid on Tacoma barber George Parrott's residence. The slots had been opened and smashed by police per court order. The two 25 cent slots, one nickel slot, and two penny slots had coins totaling $117.33. (TNT 1-13-65, A-3)

Slot machines--Tacoma; Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma); Police--Tacoma--1960-1970; Coins--United States; Gookins, John; Mace, Ritchie; Majeres, Jack;

An unidentified Tacoma police officer uses a hand sledge to smash the inner workings of a slot machine on January 12, 1965, one of five confiscated slots demolished in the basement of the County City Building per court order. The exposed reels show the familiar fruit symbols of cherries, plums and oranges. The non-uniformed man in the photograph has his hand on a 25 cent "Club Chief" slot; that machine has a jackpot of $25. The quarter, nickel and penny slots yielded a total of $117.33. Former owner George Parrott, a Tacoma barber, paid a $100 city fine in addition to a federal gambling tax of more than $1,000. He did, however, get back the $117.33 in coins which were turned over to his attorney, Martin Potter, for return to Mr. Parrott. (TNT 1-13-65, A-3-article & alt. photo)

Slot machines--Tacoma; Gambling--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma); Police--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hammers;

Back of Photo:
He Had a Windfall
Photograph by Jerry Buck

TNT 04/08/1971 A1

Back of Photo:
Watch That Turkey Trot

The uniformed graduating class of Federal Protective Officers posed for a group portrait on April 16, 1971, at Fort Lewis. The United States Federal Protective Service was formally established in 1971 as a law enforcement organization within the U.S. General Services Administration. Its duty was to protect the federal communities controlled by GSA nationally, including federal employees, visitors and billions of dollars in assets. In 1971, total employment of Federal Protective Officers exceeded 4500. Photograph ordered by General Services Administration, Auburn. (www/house.gov/transportation/pbed/09-06-01/09/06/01memo.html- article)

Law enforcement officers;

Back of Photo:
(Top) Larry Snider
(Lower) Andy Wright

Back of Photo:
Warden Kurt Peterson stands in the shadow of tower #5, an unmanned guard tower at the Northwest corner of the Reception Center Recreation Yard where last week three inmates escaped by crawling over the 12 foot high security fence pictured to his right. (left in photo)
News/Mike Gilbert
Photo by Russ Carmack

Interior of the machinist room of the McNeil Island Federal Prison. Prison guard and two men can be seen speaking around a work desk at the right side of the room.

Interior of dining hall of the McNeil Island Federal Prison.

Exterior of facilities at McNeil Island Federal Prison. Prison yard, dock and smoke stack are visible.