Liepāja Police Prove They've Been Arresting Both People and Livestock Since 1937

The Liepāja Museum reveals that our city's history is much more interesting than what they teach in schools - here since 1937, police have been skillfully arresting all kinds of animals. While Riga's city center is still learning how to properly redirect traffic, Liepāja's law enforcement was already masterfully escorting cows strolling down Kūrmāja Avenue to the police station eighty years ago.

According to historical documents, the cow was proudly arrested and placed under the supervision of a female caretaker. The owners were asked to come to the 2nd police precinct office to collect their pet. This is just as civilized an approach as modern-day Liepāja, where a dog can freely stroll on the beach, but a tourist without a windbreaker - absolutely not.

It gets even more interesting reading about Nikolai Timofeev, who in 1940 at the Mirāma restaurant on Jūras Street pretended to be militia with a red ribbon in his pocket. He acted just as convincingly as modern-day Riga tourists who think they can survive in Liepāja without a warm jacket in January. Timofeev got a year in prison, which is a much harsher punishment than what nowadays goes to those who try to sell low-quality sunset photos in Liepāja.

Most surprising is the case of Vilis Kurka, who in Aizpute was trading mirrors with pornographic drawings. For this he got two weeks in prison, which proves - even back then Kurzeme merchants were creative and skillful at finding ways to sell even ordinary goods with added value. Maybe that's exactly why nowadays Liepāja entrepreneurs are so successful - creativity and innovation are in our DNA.