page_title: Tom Brown (police officer)
section_title: Later police career
hierarchical_section_title: Tom Brown (police officer) / Later police career
caption_attribution_description: English: Homer Van Meter
context_page_description: Thomas Archibald Brown, known as "Big Tom", was police chief of St. Paul, Minnesota in the 1930s. He presided over a period of unprecedented corruption in which he assisted several major criminals, notably the Barker-Karpis gang and John Dillinger. He was eventually dismissed as chief, but retained a senior role in the Kidnap Squad, during which he continued to assist criminals. Later, he was demoted to detective, in which role he was involved in the killing of Homer Van Meter. He was finally dismissed from the force, but he was never successfully prosecuted for his crimes.
context_section_description: After his dismissal, Brown attempted to get elected as sheriff of Ramsey County, Minnesota. According to FBI informants, members of Dillinger's gang, particularly Homer Van Meter, paid $1500 into Brown's election campaign, but he was unsuccessful.
  Despite suspicions against him Brown was appointed to the newly formed Kidnap Squad. With prohibition over, local criminals turned to new sources of income. Racketeers Jack Piefer and Harry Sawyer suggested that the Barker-Karpis gang should move into kidnapping. They kidnapped wealthy businessman William Hamm. Brown informed them of plans by police to trap them. The ransom money was successfully collected, and a cut given to Brown. Another kidnapping followed. Edward Bremer, a local businessman, was snatched on his way to work after dropping his daughter at school on January 15, 1934. The FBI became actively involved. When it became evident that leaks were coming from the local Kidnap Squad, Brown was isolated from the investigation.
  On August 23, 1934 Brown was involved in the killing of former ally Homer Van Meter at the corner of Marion Street and University Avenue in St. Paul. Van Meter was lured to a supposed meeting, but was confronted by four police officers who were waiting for him, led by Chief of Police Frank Cullen. All were heavily armed with rifles and Brown carried a Thompson submachine gun. The officers later claimed Van Meter ignored their command to stop and fled into a nearby alley, where he fired twice on the officers with a .45 caliber pistol. Chief Cullen, armed with a rifle, held his fire as a bystander walked past, but the remaining officers opened fire on Van Meter, who fell dead. He was 27 years old.  Brown continued to fire at Van Meter as he lay prone; the impact of the bullets ripped off one finger and nearly severed a thumb and finger of the right hand.  The body was found to be armed with a .45-caliber Colt automatic pistol. The number and severity of Van Meter's wounds were attributed to the use of the Thompson submachine gun.  Van Meter's family later said that their kin had been used for "target practice".
  By this time Brown was under investigation by the FBI. Many of the kidnappers had been arrested and detained by the beginning of 1935. A great deal of information about Brown's involvement given by minor gang members Edna Murray and Byron Bolton. As a result, Brown was dismissed from the force. However, as most of the evidence was hearsay, Brown was not arrested or charged. He challenged his dismissal, but the evidence of his corruption was considered sufficient to justify it.
caption: Homer Van Meter was repeatedly shot by Brown as he lay on the ground
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