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Minneapolis police detective Robert Tolkinen

He was a tough cop for 30 years who, in his spare time, worked to keep kids on the straight and narrow.

May 12, 2008 at 1:22AM

Robert Tolkinen took a lot of crooks off the streets during his 30 years on the Minneapolis police force. And in his spare time, he kept a lot of kids from starting a life of crime.

Tolkinen, a retired detective who also was a longtime coach and counselor for boys in athletic programs at Minneapolis' Redeemer Lutheran Church, died on April 27 in New Hope.

The longtime Minneapolis and Wayzata resident was 84.

In 1942, the track star graduated from Minneapolis' North High School and joined the Navy. He served in combat in the Pacific Theater as a signalman on various ships.

When he returned to Minneapolis, he attended the University of Minnesota for several years, studying forestry.

A lack of job opportunities and a growing family led him to join the Minneapolis Police Department around 1950.

The patrolman was made a detective in 1957, serving on the morals squad, handling vice and narcotics cases with Russell Krueger, a retired Minneapolis Police Department deputy inspector of police.

Others would say, "Oh, he's such a nice guy. He couldn't be a cop," recalled Krueger. "Oh boy, he made a lot of arrests."

A stunning case

For years, the duo laughed about the time Tolkinen was stunned by the fist of a 350-pound woman he was arresting.

She fled, and after he gathered his senses, he took off after her.

Krueger and another detective watched Tolkinen pursue the suspect for a moment because the racing duo looked comical.

When they finally caught up and helped subdue the woman, Krueger reported, Tolkinen said, "You guys could have come sooner."

He worked mostly in north Minneapolis, and over the years was assigned to burglary, intelligence and the old felony squad.

In 1972, he established the nickname files for the police department because informants knew perpetrators only by street names, such as Lilac Floyd, Jimmie Smooch, Crowbar and Nine-finger Louis. In 1974, he launched the department's telephone tip line.

Tolkinen's volunteer work was featured in a May 19, 1960, Minneapolis Star column.

"I know most of my boys from grade school until high school graduation. They've grown up in a rather rough neighborhood but turned out to be a good bunch," he said.

Tolkinen was proud of his Finnish roots, and always had a sauna.

He handled annual fish fry

For many years after his retirement in the late 1970s, he and his wife, Evelyn, of New Hope lived in a lake home in Perham, Minn., where he grew vegetables, berries and fruit trees.

He liked to golf, paint, carve duck decoys and fish.

He handled the annual fish fry at Redeemer Lutheran Church, where he put out a spread for as many as 250 diners.

In addition to his wife of 61 years, he is survived by his daughters, Joyce Greene of Minnetonka, Judy Tinkham Clinton of Edina, Jean LaMere of Cloquet, Minn., Jane Fesler of Minnetonka, Jill Reeves of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Jackie Raye of St. Michael, Minn.; sons Jim of Miami, and John of Maple Grove; brother Howard of St. Louis Park; eight grandchildren and one great-grandson. His son Paul died in 1959.

Services have been held.