Historic Alpena Police Records Describe Unusual Crimes | News, sports, jobs

News photo by Steve Schulwitz From left: Alpena Police Chief Eric Hamp, Alpena Police Department Administrative Assistant Tracy Marquardt and Alpena County Administrator Jesse Osmer look at a book of Alpena police records from the late 19th century on Sept. 19 to.

ALPENA — Historical police logs discovered by Alpena County Administrator Jesse Osmer show that Alpena police fought very different crimes in the late 18th and early 20th centuries than the crimes they fight today.

Police made arrests and issued tickets for crimes such as prostitution, gambling and begging that are rarely prosecuted today, according to historical police records.

However, the number of alcohol-related crimes back then corresponds to the number reported by the police today.

Osmer said he has been slowly exploring the basements and other areas at county facilities as he tries to develop a plan to consolidate the file rooms scattered around county buildings into one location.

In the basement of the 911 Building, Osmer found more than a handful of large hardback books containing hundreds of previous crime reports prepared by the Alpena Police Department.

Osmer also found 19th-century county probate court records and books containing records of people institutionalized for mental illness. Osmer said he sent those books to the state for archiving.

Earlier this month, the county turned over the old police protocols to Alpena Police Chief Eric Hamp.

Osmer said he took some time to look through the books and quickly became aware that police used to carry out many types of crimes that would raise eyebrows today.

“There were crimes such as running a house of ill repute or a brothel, running a gambling hall, begging and public use of foul and vulgar language,” he said. “I found it interesting that the penalty for swearing in public was actually higher than for prostitution.”

Osmer said he was also surprised by the number of bike-related crimes. He said people have been stopped by police for riding bikes on the sidewalks or driving too fast.

Hamp said he plans to look through the historical records and then decide whether they are worth keeping for the city or whether they should be donated to an organization that can make them available to the public.

“We’ll see if there’s anything we need for our records or give it to a place like a museum or library for people to look at,” Hamp said.

Hamp said that at first glance, the records detail some crimes that would likely not violate the law in 2024.

“I’m sure there have been some changes,” he said. “I mean, these are more than 100 years ago and times have changed. Society has changed, and what may not have been accepted a century ago may be acceptable today. It will be a nice experience to take a look at how things were done 100 years ago.”

In reviewing court documents, Osmer said the records detail a case in which neither the court nor police were able to identify an individual.

“Instead of giving a name, they just called him ‘Bum,'” Osmer said. “This is crazy.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.