Waterloo Police Department History

by

Mitch Hackbarth

    One of the vital components of any government is its ability to protect its citizens and uphold the law. Without any laws or protection you have no effective government and your community becomes less civil. For these reasons a police force is crucial to all.

    The early history of the Waterloo police force is more a matter of oral tradition, than a documented story. Initially, very few records were kept and those that were have presumably been destroyed. The first police force in Waterloo consisted of three officers. One officer patrolled on the west side, another on the east, and the marshal, served at headquarters.

    One of the biggest problems for the lawmen of Waterloo was horse theft. As the number of such crimes increased, the trio of officers looked for some assistance. The citizens obliged and formed a "vigilance committee." The committee took action in response to any theft complaints and sought out the accused. "After a number of rawhidings and a few necktie parties, those engaged in the profession of stock rustling became disgusted with Black Hawk County’s enforcement of the law and moved on to greener pastures."

    In the early days Waterloo did have a jail. However, it seemed to have been more of a shanty on the river than a law enforcement center. The jail could rarely hold a prisoner if he or she was determined to escape. "It simply depended upon whether the prisoner was too lazy or not to make the attempt."

    As years passed, an intense rivalry developed between Waterloo and its neighbor Cedar Falls. Saturday evenings seemed to afford opportunities for concrete expressions of community competition. The invasion of one another's turf became commonplace. The drunken patrons of one town would look for those of the other and a fight soon followed. The officers of both towns would spend their Saturdays searching for the mischief makers.

    The policing of Waterloo evolved as the city grew. As police officers became responsible for an ever larger area the patrol system was adopted. The patrol consisted of a wagon pulled by a single horse. The patrol wagon was owned by civilians but was under contract to the department and used only when circumstances required. The reliability of the patrol was always a question; "it was never known whether it would be on the job in ten minutes or one hour." This system of patrol was relatively adequate for the time, but as population numbers continued to grow a team drawn patrol wagon was purchased. The patrol had one officer who was the team driver. The driver was on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

    In 1894, the Waterloo police department was expanded from three to seven men. The headquarters was now located in city hall. The officers’ dress was similar to that of the times. They wore dark colors, predominately black or dark blue. Each officer wore a long coat, buttoned tightly to the top. The coats were decorated with two rows of buttons running vertically. There was also a decorative star-shaped badge pinned on the left side of their chest. A belt was fastened around their waist and a nightstick strapped to their left side. The men wore hats, as well as dark leather gloves. All policemen wore thick mustaches, which added to their rigid appearance.

    Waterloo’s police force of the late nineteenth century gained some global publicity for their look. A cigar manufacturer, named "Waterloo’s Own," used a group photo on their cigar boxes, some of which were purchased by a local Waterloo patron some years later in France and Germany.

    The force worked extremely long hours. The patrol unit started about 2:30 p.m. and ended around 4:00 a.m. However, they were always subject to calls. Officers were paid nearly fifty dollars a month. In addition to attending to whatever criminal activities occurred in the city, the duties of the force included loading bums onto trains to get them out of town and the collection of a "dog tax."