By Chris Campbell |St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Twenty-nine years ago, elementary school teacher Barbara Miksicek was looking for a career change.

She found an ad for a librarian position in the city of St. Louis and applied.

Miksicek was more than a bit surprised when the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department called her back.

"I didn't know there was a police library in St. Louis," she said. "Most people don't. And I've spent my entire career trying to change that."

This is no mere collection of books and magazines. The department boasts the largest and oldest law enforcement library in the United States.

"The next largest is in New York City," Miksicek said. "They have 45,000 officers compared to our 1,400. And their library is half the size."

The library, which sits on the second floor of the downtown St. Louis Police Academy, has around 20,000 books, reams of historical records and numerous artifacts.

Everything inside is related to law enforcement.

If an officer wants to pursue a career in homicide investigation, the library is a great place to start for practical knowledge.

But it also contains a trove of data useful enough to gain the notice of researchers across the world.

Miksicek has been visited by everyone from Japanese police to Scotland Yard inspectors.

"They told me we have more on Scotland Yard's history than they do," Miksicek said.

Thanks to a strong research bent and unusually extensive collection of primary historical documents, Miksicek's one-woman operation stays busy with outside requests.

So how did the library grow so large?

Foresight.

In 1947, a member of the city's Board of Police Commissioners, who was also a city library trustee, suggested the library's creation.

"They wanted to have the best-educated police force possible," Miksicek said.

The library started with 1,600 donated books and was originally housed in a cell.

Over the years, the mission of the library expanded. It became not only a repository of information, but the primary caretaker of the department's history.

And that early history is quite noteworthy.

Miksicek said St. Louis police were the first in the nation to use fingerprints. They also developed the 'shadow box," a device that allowed witnesses to identify suspects by squinting through a slit carved from an enclosure.

For the first time, thanks to this forerunner of two-way glass, suspects could be identified anonymously.

The library, which doubles as a small museum, also houses police journals and board minutes dating back to the early 20th century. Antique forensic equipment and badges, and even guns used in notorious local crimes, are kept behind glass.

One of the more popular displays is "Christ in Cell Eight," a Depression-era sketch that appeared on the wall of a holding cell on Christmas Eve.

The sketch, which depicts the crucifixion of Jesus in what appears to be charcoal, looks to be the work of an accomplished artist.

How it got there remains a mystery. Miksicek said the men inside the cell, who were homeless rather than criminals, were not allowed tools to draw.

The then-police chief was impressed enough to cover the sketch in protective glass.

Over the years the sketch became a sort of pilgrimage point, and the cell would overflow with visitors.

It was cut out and moved to the library in 1967, where it continues to attract crowds.

The library is open to the public by appointment, though only department personnel can check out books.

If you have a question about local law enforcement, Miksicek could be your best option.

"Barbara is a great source of knowledge," said Schron Jackson, Police Department spokeswoman. "And if she doesn't know it, she'll call you right back. She's a librarian and a historian."

Though the library has been in its current spot for decades, Jackson said it will likely be moving along with the academy to new police headquarters.

The new building, 1915 Olive St., will not be ready for several years.

Jackson said it will take 18 to 24 months to finish interior customization of the new site — a process yet to begin.

The department will continue to operate its crime lab — built in 2005 — at the current location.