Gustav Hatzfeld
Gustav Hatzfeld , (born August 21, 1851 in Grünstadt , Palatinate , Kingdom of Bavaria ; † September 5, 1930 in Pirmasens ) built the police force of the city of Ludwigshafen am Rhein and worked as its boss for 34 years, from 1918 in the rank of Police Council .
Life
Origin and early life
Gustav Hatzfeld was born in Grünstadt in the Upper Palatinate, where he attended Latin school and then served as an artilleryman in the Bavarian Army . Before his police service, he lived in Pirmasens and worked as a clerk at the local court in Zweibrücken . In his Ludwigshafen recruitment documents from 1886 it says in this regard that Hatzfeld was:
"... as evidenced by his certificates, a graduate of the Latin School and, as a result of his many years of work at the court and the highest public prosecutor's office, as well as his preparation for the passed examination for the court clerk's office, in particular through his office as Royal District Court Secretary in the Department of Criminal Matters and finally Through his deputy to the public prosecutor, when he was prevented and on leave of absence, he acquired a comprehensive knowledge of all imperial and state laws that enable him to meet all the requirements for the duties of the police commissioner in a large city. Hatzfeld has a strong, healthy appearance, was a soldier in the artillery for 3 years, last worked as sergeant-major and thus also offers a guarantee for good discipline among the police team "
Police chief in Ludwigshafen
Ludwigshafen became an independent municipality in 1852 and a city in 1859. While the state, royal gendarmerie troops were responsible for law and order up until then , the Palatinate Municipal Code came into force in 1869, whereby general police matters in cities were transferred to municipal hands. In Ludwigshafen, the previous local police officer Johannes Rehm rose to be the first police superintendent of the city with its 5,000 inhabitants. It was just a small group of 5 municipal police officers. Rehm was prosecuted and released in 1874 for mistreating two arrested persons. His successor Georg Gschwindt had to quit his job on April 5, 1886 because he had manipulated the dog tax list and allegedly embezzled money, which also led to a judicial investigation.
The so unfortunate position of the Ludwigshafen police commissioner had to be filled again. From the enormous number of 165 applicants, the city fathers unanimously decided in favor of Gustav Hatzfeld because he had the best reputation and the best qualities. As it was said at the time of recruitment, he was supposed to end the “broken police conditions” in Ludwigshafen and finally organize the young city police force in a sustainable manner.
Gustav Hatzfeld fully fulfilled the trust placed in him and became the actual founder of the Ludwigshafen police. On August 1, 1886, he took up his new post and immediately initiated a regular day and night patrol service, as well as increasing the number of staff. From 1887 the police force called itself the "Schutzmannschaft der Stadt Ludwigshafen am Rhein". On May 15, 1888, Hatzfeld issued a self-written “Service Regulations for the City of Ludwigshafen am Rhein's police force ” , which outlined and regulated police work in 29 paragraphs in a contemporary manner. In the autumn of the same year, the police chief also deployed 4 police officers to prosecute serious crimes. In 1890, Hatzfeld set up his own "crime department" and had all Ludwigshafen police officers identified by different numbers on the epaulettes.
In the spring of 1901 Gustav Hatzfeld had to solve his most spectacular criminal case, which concerned the "Palatine Jack the Ripper " , as the contemporary press put it. From August 1900 a “phantom” worried the city. The perpetrator usually sneaked up to lovers at night in the area of the railway embankment near Mundenheim , stabbed the women indiscriminately with a knife or file and inflicted severe abdominal injuries in some cases. There were a total of 14 female victims; the deeds caused a sensation at home and abroad. The police chief finally cleared up the mysterious matter in an extraordinary operation. On the evening of April 27, 1901, Hatzfeld had four of his officers disguised as lovers, whereby, according to the “Pfälzer Kurier” of April 30, “two policemen were disguised as women in a deceptively real fashion” . According to the same press report, “a department of policemen under the leadership of Police Commissioner Hatzfeld was in the area in question and, according to his instructions, had taken up positions there” . In fact, it was possible to lure the perpetrator and the male “police lovers” into the trap that evening and arrest him. It was a 25-year-old mentally disturbed man from Langmeil who allegedly once contracted a “serious illness” from a woman and therefore “swore revenge” on the female sex . In this criminal case, which was also known as "Mädchenstecher Graf" or "Der Ludwigshafener Aufschlitzer" , Hatzfeld appeared on September 13, 1901, with great press interest, as one of the main witnesses at the Frankenthal Regional Court .
In 1902 the officials were given firearms, whereas previously they only wore sabers. In 1903 the strength of the communal unity was already 72 men. In 1907 Gustav Hatzfeld issued a new regulation with 82 parapraphs, which replaced his previous one; At the same time he wrote a pioneering, 100-page memorandum on the reorganization of the police service in Ludwigshafen. From 1908 the previous police superintendent Hatzfeld carried the title "police inspector". When war broke out in 1914 , the police chief commanded a unit of 117 men. On May 27, 1915, the first French air raid took place on the completely surprised city and claimed 12 lives. By the end of the war there should be 33 air raids with a total of 44 fatalities; a completely new challenge for the police inspector and his men, but one which they mastered with great care. In 1918 Gustav Hatzfeld was promoted to the police advisor and thus took him on to a higher civil service career. On December 6, 1918, Ludwigshafen was occupied by the French . The occupation authorities confirmed Hatzfeld as head of the police. On March 1, 1919, the city police office set up a collection of profiles , and from May 12 of that year, the Ludwigshafen police officers were again allowed to carry weapons.
retirement
On January 1, 1920, the now ailing police advisor Gustav Hatzfeld retired and withdrew into private life. His son Dr. August Hatzfeld was a doctor and worked as the first Ludwigshafen official and school doctor from September 1, 1911. Gustav Hatzfeld died in 1930 and, according to his own request, was buried "in silence" in the main cemetery in Ludwigshafen .
Others
After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, war clubs had formed everywhere that merged into regional and state associations. In the Palatinate, the “Palatinate Combat Association” was formed in 1873 with over 30,000 members. The purpose of the association was to cultivate patriotic and monarchical sentiments, as well as to support comrades in need. Here Hatzfeld became active and is often mentioned in newspaper reports. In 1898 he wrote a 48-page commemorative publication for the 25th anniversary of the association.
Post fame
In the local history book "In the beginning there was the Royal Bavarian Gendarme - History of the Ludwigshafen Police" , the meritorious work of Gustav Hatzfeld is described and honored in detail. There it says u. a. About him: “During his 34-year term in office , Hatzfeld made a decisive contribution to the face of the Ludwigshafen police.” Hatzfeld's photo also adorns the book cover and his “Service Regulations for the City of Ludwigshafen am Rhein” is attached as an attachment. Official websites of the Ludwigshafen Police and the City of Ludwigshafen refer to his work.
literature
- Police headquarters in Ludwigshafen: "In the beginning there was the royal Bavarian gendarme - history of the Ludwigshafen police" , Palatinate publishing house Landau, 1986, 208 pages.
- “Pfälzische Rundschau” from August 1, 1911: Appreciation for the 25th anniversary of service in Ludwigshafen .
- "New Palatine Courier" , from September 14, 1901: "The Palatine Jack the Ripper in court" .
- "Pfälzer Kurier" of April 30, 1901: "Arrest of the girl engraver Graf" .
Web links
- Official website of the Police Headquarters Rheinpfalz in Ludwigshafen, with the picture of Gustav Hatzfeld
- Website on the police history of Ludwigshafen, with a mention of Hatzfeld
- Website with portraits of the Ludwigshafen police chiefs, including Gustav Hatzfeld
Individual evidence
- ^ Headline "Neuer Pfälzischer Kurier" , from September 14, 1901
- ↑ Gustav Hatzfeld's commemorative publication for the 25th anniversary of the "Palatinate Combat Association"
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hatzfeld, Gustav |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Police advisor, long-time police chief of Ludwigshafen am Rhein |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 21, 1851 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Grünstadt |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th September 1930 |
| Place of death | Pirmasens |