File#GF007 Robbinsdale Police Dept.

Record number 185

Identification
Institution name Robbinsdale Historical Society
Object number GF007
Number of parts 39
Distinguishing features Photos, Newspaper Articles, Invitations, Webpages

Object name and title
Object category Government Files
Object name Police Department
Title Robbinsdale Police Department

Production dating
Date (late) 1945
Date (late) 2017

Content description
Description Police department news; crime

Physical description
Description Several photos, many reproduced and including one that was
photocopied, several newspaper cutouts, mostly from the
Post, and two flyers

Inscriptions and markings
Inscription / marking (Man with children, photocopy) Robbinsdale’s first police
chief, constable, and sheriff John Bloberger Sr. is standing
aboer this group of children in the early 1900s in front of
the old village hall building on West Broadway. His son,
Jack, followed him in police work. Bloberger Sr. was
responsible for killing one of the 1920 bank robbers;
(Policemen with casket) Robbinsdale Police officers served
as pallbearers for their fellow officer who was slain while
in the line of duty. John Scanlon, a 10-year veteran on the
Robbinsdale police force, was killed Feb. 14. Pallbearers
included Wayne Shellum, Mike Twaddle, Ed Manning, Ron
Engblom, Al Blomgart, and Greg Rucke; (Policemen with
children, original) A New Hope police officer posed with
DARE students at the DARE celebration in September; (Police
officer with NNO) RPD officer Rick Moeller talks with
Halifax Ave. residents at Robbinsdale’s NNO last Tues;
(Police Chief) Bud Thurman

Object history
Object history note This file contains several artifacts relating to police
activity around Robbinsdale, such as the original police
chief John Bloberger, the shooting death of officer John
Scanlon, two flyers and a newspaper article describing
National Night Out, and other assorted crimes such as bank
robberies. There are also reports on individual officers
such as Donald W. Johnson and Ed Manning, and Ron Engblom,
as well as some seemingly unrelated newspaper articles about
World War II, primarily around the dropping of the atomic
bomb. Also included is a newspaper cutout depicting notable
Robbinsdale milestones from 1880 until 1953. Recently added
is a photo of police officer Rick Moeller interacting with
residents during the National Night Out from 1996. Recently
added is a reproduced photo of Bud Thurman who is wearing
the police chief’s uniform. Recently added are two copies of
police reports from June-July 1993 in the Post, as well as a
photocopy of a robbery article at the Citizen’s Independent
Bank.