Davenport Police Officer Research
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of information on individuals serving Davenport Police Department 1844-2012; researched and compiled by donor.
Dates
- Creation: 1844-current
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Materials are available for use in the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center only.
Request permission before copying materials.
Personal digital cameras and scanners are allowed in the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center on a case-by-case basis. The items that a researcher may want to scan or photograph must be examined and evaluated for physical condition, copyright issues, and donor restrictions by staff.
Copyright restrictions may apply; please consult Special Collections staff for further information.
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of reproductions of copyrighted material.
Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
Biographical / Historical
The Davenport Iowa Police Department dates back to 1839 when a City Marshal was appointed. 1871 it
was fairly well organized with its headquarters in a small back room on property located on the
southeast corner of Second and Brady Streets. By 1873 the force was uniformed, and in 1877 they
moved their headquarters to the “old market house” also called “Bridewell” on the northeast corner of
Fifth and Main streets. When Davenport’s new City Hall was opened in 1896 the police station
transferred there. The patrol wagon and house of detention remained at 5th and Main.
The House of Detention, established in 1889 at the urging of local Christian and social action
organizations, was for female and child offenders while they were in custody or served short term
sentences. The Police Matron lived and worked at 5th and Main and had the same power and authority
as a policeman. She was directly responsible to the chief of police. The first matron was Miss Annie Davis
from 1889-1893. Mrs. Sarah Hill served from July 1893 until 1920. She was followed by Tillie Boettscher
who held the position from 1920 until at least 1931.
Police Department needed more space – old car dealership was to be temporary quarters…
2007 moved into new Police Department building on the corner of 4th and Harrison Streets
Extent
8 Box(es) (in 10 boxes: 1 records center cartons; 1 archival box; 1 oversize flat file.)
Language of Materials
English
Physical Location
Range 41 Section 08
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift
Physical Description
excellent
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center Repository
321 Main Street
Davenport IA 52801-1490 United States
specialcollections@davenportlibrary.com