Erling Brinchmann (21 March 1897 – 29 August 1988) was a Norwegian chief of police. He was born in

Trondhjem Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

. After finishing his secondary education in 1915, he studied law and graduated with the

cand.jur. Candidate of Law (Latin: ''candidatus/candidata juris/iuris'') is both a graduate law degree awarded to law students in the Nordic region as well as an academic status designation for advanced Law School students in German-speaking countries. No ...

degree from the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

in 1920. Following a time as deputy judge, he worked in a bank before being hired as police prosecutor in

Inntrøndelag Inntrøndelag or Inn-Trøndelag is a traditional district that encompasses the central part of Trøndelag county in Norway. It usually includes the area surrounding the inner part of the Trondheimsfjord. It is often used interchangeably with the n ...

in 1923. He was a police prosecutor in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

from 1928 and public prosecutor of

Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other sid ...

and

Hedmark Hedmark () was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmark and Oppland counties were merg ...

in 1939. From 1946 to 1966 he was the police chief of

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

. He was known for his benign appearance and as a guitar player. He was a member of the Friends of Folk Song Club ( no, Visens venner). Upon retiring he was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

. He lived for a few years in Oslo before emigrating to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, where he died in 1988.

References

1897 births 1988 deaths People from Trondheim Police officers from Bergen University of Oslo alumni Norwegian police chiefs Norwegian emigrants to Denmark Lawyers from Bergen {{Norway-law-bio-stub