On January 5, 1875, Fargo was incorporated as a city. Shortly
after that, John E. Haggart was elected Fargo Police chief. One
of the first problems encountered by the police department was
the lack of a "lock-up." A jail and a yard were rented for $15
per month from June 1875 until August 1876. In 1876, a simple
wood plank jail was built on 1st Avenue South between 3rd and
4th Streets at a cost of $197. The city also purchased a ball
and chain for prisoners at a cost of $8. By 1881, the police
department had grown to 10 members. The title "town marshall"
was changed to "chief of police." The chief had one sergeant and
eight patrolmen on his staff. In the same year, John Haggart was
elected Cass County Sheriff and George Holes became the Fargo
chief of police. The duties of police officers were much more
than just keeping order. In 1881, the dayshift police were
ordered to purchase a barrel of oil. They were required to keep
the street lamps in good working condition and full of oil. The
nightshift police had