The age of constables policing the streets of Howard Lake has long passed, but still remain the roots of the current day Howard Lake Police Department.

Records dating back to 1890 list CW Fogle as the first constable for the village of Howard Lake. Constables were later called town marshals, and not until the 1930s was the title of police chief designated. Although, the office of the constable wasn’t technically abolished until Oct. 3, 1963.

The first pair of handcuffs for the police department was approved at a council meeting in 1912.

The first police car for the department was purchased in 1956. It was a 1953 Ford that had previously been used as a police car in Buffalo.

Shortly after the purchase, the Howard Lake Herald reported that, “a couple of youths put the car and policeman Jack Schmieg to a test recently, and it turned out unfavorably. . . for the youths.”

In the 1950s and 1960s, the department staffed “special police.” They were hired to oversee special events in the city such as ballgames at Memorial Park and some high school games. In 1963, the school district was notified that the special police would no longer be present at basketball games.

An actual office space for the police chief and officers wasn’t provided by the city until about 1980. Up until then, police staff worked out of their homes.

At one time, a jail cell was located in the basement of historic city hall to hold criminals until they could be transported to the jail in Buffalo. That cell was taken out of the city hall in the 1930s, and its present location is unknown.

The first drug-sniffing K-9 for the department was acquired in 2002. It was a black lab named Pugsley. Within about a year, Pugsley retired and was replaced by the current drug dog, a black lab named Felony.

The names of the various constables and marshals before 1939 are challenging to track, however police chiefs from 1940 to current day are listed below.

Jack Schmieg, chief from 1940-1952

Schmieg succeeded Police Chief Johnny Jones. He worked as a local policeman for 12 years prior to becoming chief. He moved to Howard Lake in 1915 and before his law enforcement career he worked for Howard Lake Nurseries.

Christy Rassmussen, chief from 1952-1975

Better known as “Crick,” Rassmussen was well known in the community for having memorized everybody’s license plate number within town. He quickly noticed out-of-towners and kept an eye on them.

Before becoming chief, Rasmussen worked as a street car driver in Minneapolis, and worked for the Works Progress Administration creating the same roads we drive today in the community. The WPA provided jobs and income to the unemployed during the Great Depression.

George Schaar, chief from 1975-1978

Before Schaar became chief, he worked at the Delano Police Department. After leaving Howard Lake, he worked security at a nuclear power plant, then became a special deputy US marshal for the federal courthouse in Minneapolis.

Michael Kaulfuss, chief from 1978-1979

Before becoming chief, Kaulfuss worked as a police officer for the Howard Lake Police Department. As chief, he was witness to a new light bar on the squad car. Kaulfuss resigned as chief to go work for Brooklyn Park Police.

Merlyn Fletcher, chief from 1979-1987

Before becoming chief, Fletcher worked for the Austin Police Department for nine years, and was in the US Army for two years. He left the Howard Lake Police Department to become the police chief at Park Rapids Police Department.

Michael Simmons, chief from 1987-2002

Before coming to Howard Lake, Simmons was a patrolman for Wright County beginning in 1978. Although Simmons retired from police work in 2002, he still maintains his tax business, Crow River Tax Service, in Howard Lake.

Lenny Keyes, chief from 2002-2006

Keyes retired after 33 years in police work, and joked, “I’m still basically sane, too.” He began his career at the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, and then was a patrolman for Howard Lake for 16 years before becoming chief.

Dan Lang, chief from 2006-current

Lang began his law enforcement career at the Wright County Sheriff’s Office in 1995 as a patrolman. He started working for the Howard Lake Police Department in 2002 before becoming chief in 2006.

Today, the department consists of three full-time officers along with its K-9 Felony and six active part-time officers.

The police department is actively involved in a number of programs that include the following: Safe-N-Sober, Nitecap Operation, HLWW Methamphetamine Education and Drug Awareness (MEADA), Safe School of HLWW, Safe Communities of Wright County, Region 12 Canine Association, Rivers of Hope Domestic Violence Prevention, and Wright Technical Center Curriculum Committee, according to Lang.

The department partners with other police departments in the county, and initiated an automated records and mobile computer program to use in day-to-day operations. The program enables the department to maximize available technology while keeping the costs to a minimum. Citizens are encouraged to call the department at (320) 543-3670 or e-mail hlpd@howard-lake.mn.us for questions and concerns.