Police Department History
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Police Department History “WE ARE COMMITTED TO MAKING SANTA ROSA A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY.” 965 Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 Business Phone: (707) 543-3600 Non-Emergency: (707) 528-5222 Website: www.santarosapd.com “THE CITY DESIGNED FOR LIVING” City’s first 107 year history, she was headed by 53 may- ors and 3 presidents of the early day Boards of Trustees. Santa Rosa lies within the region of the last Spanish mission - San Francisco Solano de Sonoma, founded by The City did not have a regular base of operations until Padre Jose Altimira, on July 4, 1823. The area’s first 1883 when property was purchased for the construction English speaking settler was an Irish immigrant by the of the City Hall in the location now occupied by the name of John L. Read in 1827, but Read only remained Eureka Savings and Loan Building. The earthquake of here for a short period. 1906 damaged the 1883 City Hall beyond repair and temporary offices were constructed at Fifth Street and On August 30, 1829, Father Juan Amoroso performed Mendocino Avenue. the act of confirmation upon a young Indian woman beside a stream and it being the day on which the The new City Hall, constructed in the same general church celebrated the feast of Santa Rosa de Lima, Fa- area, was completed in 1913 and functioned as the seat ther Amoroso named the stream Santa Rosa and the sur- of City government for the following 56 years. On June rounding valley came to be called after the stream, the 7, 1969, the present Civic Center (City Hall) was dedi- Valley of Santa Rosa. cated. Four years later, in 1833, the City of Santa Rosa was Santa Rosa’s climate and ideal location - 52 miles North founded by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. The of San Francisco, 100 miles West of Sacramento, and first permanent settler was Señora Maria Ygnacia Lopez 21 miles from the Pacific Ocean, at an altitude of 167 de Carrillo in 1838. feet above sea level - have been instrumental in the City’s growth. The current population as of the 2010 The County of Sonoma was organized in 1850, Santa Census was 167,816, in an area of over 42 square miles. Rosa being proclaimed by vote as the County seat. The township of Santa Rosa and the incorporated City of Santa Rosa came on February 23, 1867. During the 12 SANTA ROSA POLICE DEPARTMENT “pay book” which showed the ward they were working 1867-1974 in and the hours worked. April 1, 1867, denotes the birth of the Santa Rosa Police The night hours were established as follows: Department. On February 23, 1867, the trustees of the newly formed City of Santa Rosa passed a Resolution April - October 7:00 p.m. - 4:30 a.m. forming the Police Department (Chapter 1, Sections 1- October - April 7:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m. 21). The Department consisted of a City Marshal and a Pound Keeper. The City, at this time, recalled all badges and cancelled all appoint- H.G. Parks received the post as City ments for police, special police, and Marshal, and John Taylor was ap- night watchmen and then re- pointed as Pound Keeper on May 13, established a permanent regular po- 1867. Records indicate that indi- lice force. viduals served as night watchmen at the discretion of the Marshal. They On December 5, 1901, the City Mar- were paid a flat sum of $2 per night. shal, Charles C. Holmes, Jr., opened The Marshal was first paid a sum per his office for twenty-hour service. service performed of .25 (cents). The City served under fourteen City These services included Marshals between the years of 1867 “summoning witness”, “every entry and 1901. On April 17, 1906, Fred in registrar of arrest”, “every entry of Rushmore was appointed as the City’s any nuisance or the violation of any first Chief of Police. On the follow- law of said city”. For “arresting an ing day, April 18, 1906, the City of individual charged with an offense”, Santa Rosa was struck with the devas- he received $1. Marshall Charles Holmes and Staff, 1900s. tating 1906 earthquake. In 1868, the City passed a Resolution establishing a Information regarding the location and facilities of the regular salary for the Marshal at $75 per month. police department between 1867 and 1883 is not clear. The City did have a “calaboose”, and records from the On April 19, 1872, H.H. Fredson was appointed as the 1870s indicate repairs were made on it. The location first Deputy Marshal serving under the City’s fifth Mar- appears to have been in the City Hall building. shal, W.H. Mead. Various individuals were being used as night watchmen until 1876 when a Mr. Fuller and The new 1913 City Hall police facilities consisted of Robert Dyer were appointed on April 21, 1876, as regu- two rooms - the Chief’s office and a room for the offi- lar night watchmen under Marshal J.M. White and Dep- cers to assemble. There was also a jail which had eight uty Marshal A.C. Rainey. The men were required to cells. wear uniforms of either blue or grey, worked 12-hour shifts, 7-days a week, and were paid $50 a month. The Marshal was charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order, serving official papers, pound keeper, City tax collector, and health officer. Members of the force were subject to reappointment on an annual basis. An election was held by the Board of Trustees on the first Tuesday of each April. By 1884, the Force had regulated into the ward system. Each of the City’s three wards had an appointed officer. When the officers reported to duty, they would sign the Chief Melvin “Dutch” Flohr’s Era 13 The police force remained fairly constant in size be- squad room. The back portion of the old assembly tween 1876 and the 1920s with four or five regular offi- room was converted into a dispatch office. The front cers supplemented by special officers. Pay records re- portion became the Desk Sergeant’s area facing the veal that the use of special police officers working regu- public counter. lar shifts for several months at a time was a common practice. The force began to increase in size during the Mel Bruner constructed and installed the first two-way late 1920s. The steady encroachment of the automobile police communications system in Northern California. appeared to have played a vital role in the increase in Bruner served as night dispatcher and repairman for the the size of the force. City between 1935 and 1958. His firm, M.L. Bruner Co. handled communication Officers regularly called upon the local taxi maintenance for the City. fleet to answer calls or transport prisoners with the City picking up the tab. The first On June 1, 1940, Melvin “Dutch” Flohr police car was purchased in 1929. Bicy- took command of the twelve man force, cles were in common use for patrol. In starting a 34 year reign that would take the 1935, the force consisted of twelve regular Department through sweeping changes. officers, one patrol car, the same two The station expanded, taking over the old rooms, cell block, two desks, and one tele- gas station building between the Police phone. The officers were paid $160 per Department and the Sheriff’s Office. The month in return for a six-day work week. lube room was at first a locker room for After officers had completed one year pro- the officers, and the office portion was an bationary period, they were compensated at $5 per shift. Identification Bureau. The locker room was finally Officers left the station unmanned while on street patrol. moved across the street in the basement area of the con- An incoming call for an officer would be intercepted by demned County Courthouse around 1964. The force an operator who would signal the officer by a light upon consisted of 39 men, a Captain, an Inspector, 2 Lieuten- a pole located on the roof of the building at Hinton and ants, 5 Sergeants, 25 Officers and 5 Civilian Employees. Fourth Streets. The officer would then phone in to re- ceive the message. The needs of the force compelled the move on April 1, 1966, into the vacated Sheriff’s Office building. Three On July 15, 1935, 77 year old Albert I. Chamberlain years passed and the force again moved. On June 10, walked into the police station and shot Chief Charles 1969, the force moved to the newly constructed Civic O’Neal who was sitting at a table in the assembly room. Center (City Hall) at 100 Santa Rosa Avenue. Chief O’Neal was shot three times and died two days later. As a direct result of this tragedy, a public counter was built across the room dividing it into two separate areas. It was at this counter that the public was met for the fol- lowing 34 years. To date, Chief O’Neal has been the only regular Santa Rosa Police Department officer killed in the line of duty. Two years earlier, in February of 1933, Special Officer Carlos R. “Bill” Carrick was shot and killed at Sixth and Adams Streets during his rounds as a mer- chant patrolman. The station house changed slowly during the period fol- lowing the bloody 1930s. The old courtroom next to the assembly room was taken over and remodeled into a 1960s. 14 HISTORY OF THE PATCH/UNIFORM Santa Rosa Police Officers did not wear patches until after WWII.