Southwest District
Street Address: | 424 Font Hill Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21223 |
Mailing Address: | Click for mailing instructions |
Phone: | 410-396-2488 |
E-mail: | E-mail the Southwestern District |
1884 – Southwestern District History – 1884 – The Southwestern Distirct was first opened at Calhoun and Pratt Streets (200 S. Calhoun St) where it remained until 07-11-1958 when they moved to their presnt location at 424 Font Hill Ave.
The Southwest District is the eighth of nine districts within the Baltimore Police Department. The officers of the Southwest District are committed to public safety, to include targeted enforcement, community engagement, and building strong community partnerships. The Southwest District is known for its strong community involvement, which has made the district’s crime fighting strategies a success in the past, and they will continue those efforts in the future. Overall crime reduction is approximately -19%.
Neighborhoods
Allendale, Beechfield, Bentalou – Smallwood, Booth – Boyd, Carroll – South Hilton, Dickeyville, Edmondson Village, Fairmont, Franklintown, Franklintown Road, Gwynn’s Falls, Gwynns Falls Park, Hunting Ridge, Irvington, Leakin Park, Mill Hill, Morrell Park, Mount Holly, Northwest Community Action, Oaklee, Rognel Heights, Rosemont, Saint Agnes, Saint Joseph’s, Shipley Hill, Ten Hills, Tremont, Uplands Park, Violetville, Wakefield, Walbrook, West Hills, Westgate, Winchester, Yale Heights
Neighborhood Resources
Courtesy Family of Officer James Kinsella
Baltimore Police Officers circa late 1800’s
Officer Michael S. Brooks is the first Officer from the left in the second row. He joined the department in July of 1875 and served as a “Turnkey” in the Southwest District. After his service on the force he went to work with his brothers at the family Carriage and Wagon Building Shop, J.L. Brooks & Co. 723 & 725 W. Pratt Street and, later, on, the shop was moved to Baltimore & Poppleton. He worked repairing the patrol wagons for the Police Department. (Information provided by his great grand daughter Katie Kuipers) Officer James Kinsella 4th. from left in the 3rd row.
James Kinsella came to America with his family from County Wicklow Ireland in 1850, as a boy of 11, in 1861, he joined the 71st Pennsylvania Volunteers (also known as the “California Regiment”) and fought in major campaigns in the Civil War.
He was wounded at the Battle of Antietam, returned to duty and fought in the Battle of Gettysburg where he was taken prisoner at the Angle on Cemetery Ridge, “the high watermark of the Confederacy,” on July 3, 1863.
Taken under guard to Richmond, he was held four months in Belle Isle prison camp in Richmond, Va., until sent to the hospital and then to Camp Parole, Md., where he remained until returning to his regiment in June 1864.
He received an honorable discharge on October 26, 1864, and became a naturalized citizen on November 8, 1864.
Kinsella became a Police Officer in Baltimore City and spent the last years of his life at the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers at Elizabeth City, Va. Discharged from the home on March 19, 1920, he returned to his family in Baltimore, where he died on March 27th.
James Kinsella was interred at the National Cemetery in Baltimore on March 29, 1920.
This site reflects the results of research by Margaret Ingram, his great-granddaughter, and her children, Bruce Ingram and Susan Ingram.
Although his discharge and naturalization papers were subsequently found in a family bible, the only clues handed down in the family were that he came from Ireland with his parents at the age of “11;” he had “walked from Philadelphia to Baltimore;” he had been “wounded at Gettysburg;” he had “a lovely Irish lilt;” and his name was engraved on the Pennsylvania State Monument.
Pennsylvania
State Monument
Gettysburg
National Military Park
Please visit the web site of Officer Kinsella….(www.kinsellasearch.com) reflects the results of research by Margaret Ingram, his great-granddaughter, and her children, Bruce Ingram and Susan Ingram
Southwest District 1900’s
BALTIMORE’S FINEST IN 1889
These 4 good men and true were the pick of Baltimore’s Police Force in the year of grace 1889.Left to right they are
Sergeant Timothy Broderick and
Patrolman F. Stallings
Round Sergeant H. Morhiser
Round Sergeant 4/18/1894
Lieutenant 12/18/1908
Later became Captain ofthe Southwest District.
Sergeant William Russell
Photo was taken in what is now Carroll Park.
Ray Cook
Carjack Arrest of Lance Tate
Ray Cook
SOUTHWESTERN DISTRICT
CaptainMorhiser
SEPTEMBER, 1930
C-Division
Southwestern District
June 24, 1940
A-Division
Trophy Winners 1950’s Southwest District Police Boy’s Club boxing team won the Humphrey Bogart trophy.
(L-R) Sergeant William Hartsung, John Schuss, Joe Bowling, Inspector John Schuler, Leo Albey, Richard Nally
Officer James Rankin
On Dec 21st 1976, while working a Detail at Memorial Stadium, Officer James Rankin normally assigned to Southwest District witnessed a small aircraft accident, as the plane came down into Memorial Stadium. Officer Rankin wasted no time in rushing to the aid of the pilot as he and another officer; Officer Joseph Sacco quickly pulled the injured pilot out of a plane that was crashed into and now sat in the upper deck seats of the Stadium. Officer Rankin went to the plane with Sacco (un-named by all news accounts) the two went to the plane to rescue the Pilot Donald Nelson Kroner. Kroner was bleeding from the face, the plane was covered in gas on the outside, and blood on the inside; thinking the plane could explode at any moment Kroner was quickly carried to safety. Kroner proclaimed several times “I can walk… put me down! – Put me down, I can walk!”, but Rankin & Sacco knew they had to save Kroner, and then possible arrest him. Seeing the amount of blood lost, and the gas leak, The officers couldn’t risk Kroner’s being too weak to run, and having the plane blow up on them. So They did what they knew would be safest, they carried Kroner to safety. The Plane Kroner flew was a white Piper Cherokee, with red and blue stripes. It was later learned that earlier in the week, Kroner had threatened Bill Pellington (owner of the Iron Horse – a bar in Baltimore County) Kroner’s threat of using a bomb was taken serious, as not too long before the threat, Kroner rented the same plane he wrecked into the Stadium, and flew it over Pellington’s bar while dropping bottles, and rolls of toilet paper down onto the bar. With these kinds of actions the threat of a bomb was taken serious. It doesn’t matter much now, all that matters is Officer James Rankin and Officer Joseph Sacco were heroes that day, risking their own lives to save the life of another. Something Police do often and like this incident, they don’t credit for nearly 40 years.
Note: the newspapers said it was a white plane with red and Blue stripes, I don’t see the Red stripes. This is odd because we all know newspapers never get it wrong…
Photo courtesy Officer Jim Mitchell
Photo courtesy Officer Ray Wilson
POLICEMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Presented to Patrolman Raymond Wilson
By the Edmondson Heights Westview Optimists
Photo Courtesy Denise DePasquale (Daughter of Officer Timothy Ridenour)
Photo Courtesy Denise DePasquale (Daughter of Officer Timothy Ridenour)
Photo Courtesy Denise DePasquale (Daughter of Officer Timothy Ridenour)
Photo Courtesy Denise DePasquale (Daughter of Officer Timothy Ridenour)
Photo Courtesy Denise DePasquale (Daughter of Officer Timothy Ridenour)
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Officer Ed Schweigrath SWD 1979
(above & below)
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Ed SCHWEIGRATH (SWD) 1979
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Drawings made by Officer Ed Schweigrath SWD in 1979. Eddie was the official artist of the Southwest until his untimely death January 9, 1984. Whenever an event worth recording took place, a cartoon soon followed. His pictures used to adorn the walls of the rec room at the station.
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Police Officer Edward S. Sherman
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Police Officer Edward S. Sherman
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Died in the Line Of Duty
September 13, 1975 with a duty related illness.
It was learned that the trunk seal on the 1974 Plymouth Satellites were defective and allowing Carbon Monoxide to enter the vehicles. Many officers were suffering severe headaches and never knew why until Officer Sherman was overcome. All of these vehicles were removed from service, inspected and repaired. Officer Sherman lost his life, but his death may have saved many other officers.
Courtesy of Yours Truley – Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
Courtesy of Yours Truley – Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
Courtesy of Yours Truley – Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
Courtesy of Yours Truley – Ret Det Kenny DriscollCourtesy of Yours Truley – Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Photo Courtesy of David Eastman
Police Officer John Dodge SWD circa 1980
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Photo courtesy Mike Schwiegerath
Courtesy Officer Gary S. Provenzano
Officer Gary S. Provenzano, Southwest District 1976
Courtesy Eric Shufflebottom
Photo courtesy Jennifer Rollhauser
Tarsha Holmes & Jennifer Rollhauser
Photo courtesy Jennifer Rollhauser
Photo courtesy Jennifer Rollhauser
Jennifer Rollhauser on a recovered stolen scooter
Officer Rob Trimper stands guard on a local residence
Richard Elliott
SWD- 1979-88
POLICE INFORMATION
Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.