The Official page of the City of Hamtramck Police Department.
شرطة مدينة هامترامك | হ্যামট্রামক সিটি পুলিশ
Policja w Hamtramcku | Policia e Hamtramck
поліція Хамтрамк | ہیمٹرامک سٹی پولیس
Chief of Police - Hussein Farhat History of the Hamtramck Police Department
On Monday, July 29, 1901 William Dickerson and a group of petitioners were granted the right to incorporate as the Village o
f Hamtramck by the Wayne County Board of Supervisors. The first formal law enforcement agency was established in the Village of Hamtramck on October 10, 1901 when Charles Johnson was appointed Marshall. Marshall Johnson was the only law enforcement officer until Marshall Bernard Whalen became Chief in 1913 and was assisted by two deputies. On November 14, 1914, The Hamtramck Village Police Force was formed. At 1:40 P.M., the first report was made by Mrs. Singer reported the theft of her son's coat while he was playing. The report was taken by Officer Daniel O'Brein. Chief Whalen assigned the report to Officer Harry Wurmuskerken to be investigated. Ironically, the little boy, Anthony Singer, whose coat was stolen from, grew up to be a Hamtramck Police Officer. He retired as a Detective. The 1920’s were significant for the Hamtramck Police Department. It was a time in which the department took shape. The Hamtramck Police Force was very progressive for its time. The force had multiple African American officers. Harry Wurmuskerken was promoted and became the first Captain in 1921. He eventually became the Chief in 1922. Between 1922 and 1926, several bureaus were set up with specialized functions. They included: the Records/ID Bureau, Accident Prevention, Auto Squad, Juvenile, and Vice Squad. In 1924, the first Hamtramck Woman’s Division was created. With the approval of the Detroit Police Department, Mrs. Susan Glinski was given a leave of absence. She single-handedly organized the first Women’s Division in Hamtramck. Miss Angelina Paul was placed at the head of the Woman’s Division. In 1925, Mrs. Sophie Stawicki was assigned to assist with cases in the division. The Woman’s Police Division took care of girls and women, as well as children under the age of ten. Because of the Women’s Division, Hamtramck’s juvenile delinquency rate was the lowest in Michigan. In June 1924, a manual of rules and regulations was written by then Director of Public Safety, L. This “Blue Book” was used until it was revised in 1990. On March 04, 1924, Sergeant Frank Boza became the first Hamtramck Police Officer to lose his life in the line of duty. Sgt. Boza was working the front desk at the police station, located at Jos. Campau and Grayling when a hold up alarm went off. The alarm was from the People's National Bank at Jos. Campau and Council. Four gunmen were holding the bank up at gunpoint. The gang of robbers called in a false fire alarm at the North end of town at Sobieski and Commor, which sent most of the city's officers to the scene. One of the bank tellers hit the alarm button, when one of the robbers jumped the counter. As this was going on, officers in the police station began running across the street, Jos. Campau, to the bank. They were led by Sgt. Boza and Detective Sergeant John Sikorski. The gunman appointed as “the look out” was stationed at the bank door. He was the first man to open fire on the responding officers. Boza returned fire, until he was struck in the neck by a bullet. Det. Sikorski returned fire, killing “the look out”. Subsequently, Sgt. Boza walked into the police station and collapsed. He was transported to Grace Hospital, where he died two hours later from the gunshot wound to his neck. Boza was survived by his wife Sofia and 3 children. Frank Boza was a member of the Hamtramck Police Department for several years, before dying in the line of duty. On November 3, 1926 Officer John Goralczyk was the second officer to be killed in the line of duty. Officer Goralczyk was riding his police motorcycle West on Evaline Street, when a car traveling North on Charest struck him. Immediately, Officer Goralczyk was transported to St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital in Downtown Detroit, where he died from his injuries, shortly after he was admitted. Officer Goralczyk was appointed to the Hamtramck Police Department in November 28, 1923, working only three years before he lost his life. Modern equipment came to the department in 1927. A Dictaphone (inter-department phone) was installed at a cost of $336. In 1928, the department was further “modernized” with the purchase of a Teletype. This allowed communication with many other departments outside Hamtramck. Because of the “Deplorable state” of the patrol cars in use, the Director of Public Safety, in a letter to the City Council, in 1930 requested the purchase of 11 new scout cars and a patrol wagon (van). Radio communication was installed in 6 of these vehicles in 1931. On Saturday July 5, 1930 at approximately 8:00am, the third Hamtramck Officer, Bernard Roth, lost his life in the line of duty. Two unidentified men entered the home of Hamtramck Police Officer Barnard Roth at 12128 Mitchell. The men entered through the back door of Roth’s home. They shot Roth, while he was eating breakfast. Officer Roth was assigned to enforce prohibition. He had been approached multiple times by bootleggers to provide protection for their illegal production and distribution of alcohol. Roth continuously refused these men. Roth was killed by the very same gangsters. Bernard J. Roth was appointed to the Hamtramck Police Department February 1, 1924. His duty in the department lasted six years. The fourth officer, Detective Sergeant John Mickley, ended his watch on September 1, 1930 at approximately 10:30pm. Mickley was patrolling with Det/Lt. Joseph Rustoni, on Jos. Campau at Caniff, when the observed a robbery in progress. John Witkowski was robbing Frank Strukel at the night deposit box of the Bank of Hamtramck. Mr. Strukel was depositing the night's receipts from the Martha Washington Theater. When Witkowski saw the officers, he opened fire on their car and fled into the Jos. Campau / Mitchell alley. Mickley gave chase. According to Witkowski, Mickley caught him at Mitchell and Casmere, where his gun was twisted away. Mickley then began to lead Witkowski to the car. Witkowski pulled away and Mickley shot him in the hip. Witkowski proceeded to grab Mickley's gun. A struggle ensued. Witkowski grabbed Mickley’s wrist. He kept the officer’s hand containing the pistol at an angle away from his body. The two wrestled back and forth. Mickley’s gun went off six times during the battle, but all the shots went into the air. Then, the bandit broke loose and shot twice. Both bullets hit Mickley in the neck. He dropped. Witkowski ran across the street and down another alley. When Rustoni heard the shots, he came speeding up to find Mickley dying. Mickley died, while being rushed to Hamtramck Municipal Hospital. Witkowski was arrested six days later. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in solitary confinement at Marquette. Witkowski died in prison on December 15, 1963. An underground police –fire signal system was installed in 1935 with “call boxes” placed at various locations throughout the city. This was the only field communication foot or bike officers had with the Police Station. On January 13, 1937 the Hamtramck Police Department installed a Western Electric One Way Radio System. In the first year, arrests jumped 17% from 2,167 to 2,538. In a 2 year period, crime dropped 20% from 875 to 697.
