In the Beginning — 12

On November 2, 1988, the John J. O’Brien Hall of Honor was dedicated at police headquarters. Located on the building’s second floor, the hall honored Saint Paul police officers killed in the line-of-duty. The names of officers who have received medals of valor and medals of merit are commemorated here also. Officer O’Brien died in 1981.

One key to an effective police force is its ability to communicate with and understand the community it serves. To this end, the Saint Paul Police Department hired its first Hmong officer in 1988. Shoua Cha worked as a patrol officer for Minneapolis before joining Saint Paul’s Department. His special skills helped bridge the gap between cultures, and demonstrated that the Saint Paul Police Department truly attempts to serve the needs of all city residents.

In 1988, the Department severed a link with its past when the last two sworn officers with the title of detective retired. This phase-out began in 1964, as the Department reorganized ranks and eliminated the detective classification. When Joe Margl and John Splinter departed, the detective rank retired with them. Today, police sergeants are both street supervisors and investigators, depending upon their assignments.

In 1989, the Department placed the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in school classrooms to fight the drug problem from the demand side. Six specially trained officers provided information concerning the harmful effects of drugs and how self-esteem aided prevention of drug addiction. In 1996, the Department with the assistance of D.A.R.E. America, was able to help the National Police in Ecuador start a similar program, by providing them with Spanish language D.A.R.E. teaching material.

The Traffic and Accident Section induced Saint Paul streets to become safer by implementing the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (S.T.E.P.). Officers analyzed trouble intersections and roadways, based on accident statistics and citizen complaints, and then increased enforcement of speed limits and other traffic laws to reduce hazards.

The Emergency Communications Center (E.C.C.) brought a new Computer Assisted Dispatch (C.A.D.) system on line in 1989. The system checked addresses given by callers, prioritized responses, and generally managed the delivery of service. The system provided officers responding to emergency calls with additional information such as hazard, previous calls to address, and other dangers. C.A.D. included a link with the Records Unit, providing the review officer with instantaneous information on squad activity. Today, supervisors can monitor C.A.D. from computers in their office and/or vehicle.

The Saint Paul Police Department helped end the Cold War on a chilly day in June, 1990. With the temperature hovering in the 40's, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev’s motorcade of Russian Zil limousines wound its way through the city to a meeting at the governor’s mansion on Summit Avenue. Saint Paul police officers worked with the U.S. Secret Service and Soviet Security to make sure the historic visit was safe. Officers controlled traffic and crowds, completely clearing I-94, Lexington Parkway, Summit Avenue and John Ireland Boulevard. Complicating this task were several unscheduled stops, in which the Soviet leader fearlessly waded into crowds to greet people lining the motorcade route. Only a block from the Governor’s Mansion, tens of thousands of people took part in the annual “Grand Old Day” celebration at the same time. The Department canceled days off and most vacations, mustering a force of 450 officers to secure the city. A year later, the Department entered into a professional exchange program with the Republic of Russia, in which police managers traveled back and forth between the two countries.

Two of the Department’s patrol officers, Catherine Janssen and Patrick Lyttle, were selected as the 1990 Minnesota Officers of the Year. Officer Janssen was selected as the Minnesota Woman Officer of the Year for her bravery and professionalism. Officer Lyttle was named Minnesota’s Officer of the Year for venturing several times into a smoke-filled second story of a burning home to find an unconscious little girl. Despite suffering smoke inhalation and collapsing twice, Lyttle carried the child out. Paramedics said she would have surely died, had it not been for the officer’s bravery. It is extremely unusual for one department to garner the state’s two top law enforcement awards in a single year.

The city’s Western Sector received two new buildings in 1990. A building that had housed a “strip joint,” known as the Belmont Club, was purchased by the city. It was renovated and converted to the headquarters for the Northwest Team, now the north office of the Western District. The Southwest Team relocated to a new building, constructed on Parks Department property at 1820 Edgcumbe Road. This building is currently the south office of the Western District.

1991 was an unusually active year for the Patrol Division. Besides answering almost 190,000 calls for service during the year, patrol officers:

• Assisted Secret Service in protecting President Bush during a visit;
• Were on duty for the second Minnesota Twins World Series victory parade in five years;
• Made sure the week-long International Special Olympics was completed without incident; and
• The Canine Unit was named top department team in the nation for the third consecutive year. No other department has yet accomplished this feat.

In 1991, the Saint Paul Police Department expanded its service to the community by implementing a program designated the Asian Community Outreach Program (A.C.O.P.). Police and interpreters were able to enhance the level of service and address the special needs of the Asian community. A.C.O.P. was a cooperative effort between the Saint Paul Police Department and the Saint Paul Housing Authority. The personnel assigned to this program soon found that they worked with all culturally diverse residents of Saint Paul’s housing projects. The A.C.O.P. acronym was then changed from “Asian” to “A” Community Outreach Program.

For the first time since 1968, all of the city’s homicides were solved by Homicide Unit investigators. This being an incredible accomplishment, Chief William W. McCutcheon presented the Homicide Unit with the Unit Citation commendation.

The Saint Paul Police Department bid farewell to one of its longest serving chiefs. In a career that stretched back to 1954, William W. McCutcheon retired in 1992, after completing two six-year terms as chief of police. Chief McCutcheon was known for many law enforcement contributions, including:

• Ten years of experience as a state legislator promoting Saint Paul and Minnesota law enforcement efforts;
• Initiated the S.P.P.D. Wellness Program, which included on duty exercise time and mandatory workouts for overweight officers, a program that has been copied by departments coast to coast;
• Started the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in Saint Paul by placing police officers in elementary schools; and
• Made major strides in recruiting women and minority officers, and then promoting those officers to positions of responsibility.

On July 15, 1992, Saint Paul gained a capable chief who would bring the St. Paul Police Department into the twenty-first century when Mayor James Scheibel appointed William K. Finney as the new chief of police. The city council voted its unanimous approval for this first African-American police chief in Minnesota history. Chief Finney wasted little time in fulfilling expectations to provide a community oriented police agency, one “more reflective of, and more responsive to, the community it serves.”

Desk officers were assigned in each of the City’s four team houses. They were to be available seven days a week to meet with neighborhood residents and hear their concerns.