Right now, there’s a New Jersey police officer outside the Central Market on Lovers Lane writing a ticket.
He stands just under 6 feet tall near one of the entrances. He’s wearing a bronze uniform with a blank name tag, along with a pressed tie, badge and holstered gun. A turquoise sheen spreads across his cheeks like a facial mask. He’s forever grimacing.
The cop is a statue, and a random one at that. There’s no plaque explaining its origins. So what’s he doing there?
Maybe it’s a scarecrow tactic to prevent shoplifting. Or maybe it’s to honor a police officer who once called this neighborhood home. Whatever the reason, it made Brandon Mikeal wonder.
“It’s always been a mystery,” said the Denton native, who walks past the anonymous cop every week with his wife when they shop. So he reached out to Curious Texas in search of an answer.
He asked: What’s the story behind the statue of a police officer outside the Lovers Lane Central Market?
His question is part of an ongoing project from The Dallas Morning News that invites you to join in our reporting process. The idea is simple: You have questions, and our journalists are trained to track down answers.
You can also send us your Curious Texas questions by texting “DMN” to 214-817-3868. Follow the prompts and introduce yourself, share your story or questions, and we’ll text you with information as we report the story.
Now, back to the cop. Look closely at the statue, Brandon, and you’ll find the main clue: The ticket. It’s marked Princeton, N.J., Jan. 5, 1983. It’s addressed to a Seward Johnson who, based on the bronze policeman’s notes, did the following: “Insulted officer” and was “generally belligerent.”
So who is this belligerent, insulting Seward Johnson? Well, he’s the creator of the statue.
The 88-year-old is an American artist and sculptor based in New Jersey. He’s part of the Johnson & Johnson products family, and according to his website, more than 450 of his life-size cast bronze sculptures can be found in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia.
Throughout his career, he became widely known for his series titled "Celebrating the Familiar," which focuses on everyday figures depicted in realistic detail. For example, his collection features sculptures of kids eating ice cream and a woman reading a newspaper. The statue we're talking about is titled Time's Up, and it was made in 1983.
According to Paula Stoeke, curator at The Seward Johnson Atelier Inc., Johnson invited an actual Princeton officer to his studio to pose.
“Johnson asked the officer to make the face he’d make if he had to write a ticket, and Johnson said ‘Freeze! Right there!’ and the result is the grimacing face that you see,” Stoeke said.
She explained there are seven versions of this bronze statue, and some vary in color. This one was purchased in 1985 by Lincoln Property Co. in Dallas.
For a while, the cop patrolled a business park across from NorthPark mall. But when ownership of that park changed hands, it was moved to the entrance of Central Market, just in time for the store’s grand opening 16 years ago.
Mabrie Jackson, director of public affairs at H-E-B/Central Market, said she’s gotten many questions about the statue. But since our inquiry, she realized something was missing.
“We decided we needed to name the statue,” Jackson said.
Because of Brandon’s question, Central Market posted a photo of the cop to its Facebook page, and left his moniker in the hands of its followers. Days later, a winner was crowned.
So next time you’re at Central Market, be sure to wave hi to the bronze police officer.
His name is Carl.
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