HISTORY
OF THE WHITTIER POLICE DEPARTMENT
 The
Whittier Police Department began in April, 1917 with the
appointment of Edgar L. Essley as the community's first
City Marshal and Tax Collector. A night watchman was
hired the following year, and the 2-man team worked out
of a building on Greenleaf and Hadley which also housed
a drugstore, the County Marshal's office, a justice of
the peace, and served as a courthouse. A 2-cell jail was
located at the rear of the fire station on South
Comstock.
LeRoy Ballou served as Chief of Police, License Fee'
Clerk, and Supervisor of Garbage Collection from
1921-23, when he was succeeded by I.B. English. An
Assistant Chief, a night sergeant, and seven motor
officers were soon added, and the department moved to
its new quarters, a room at the rear of the City Hall.
 On
May 12, 1925 Edgar Essley was sworn in for a second
time, on the same day the department moved into its own
building at the corner of Greenleaf and Bailey. It
included a 7-cell jail and is still remembered as
"the old Bailey Street station.
By 1931 the department boasted three administrative
officers, a traffic sergeant, Superintendent of
Identification, three motorcycle Officers, six
Patrolman, and one Detective. Within two years after Guy
Welch was sworn in as chief in 1935, patrol cars were
equipped with two-way radios, and the lifting of
fingerprints from crime scenes was standard procedure.
 O.C.
Smith became Whittier's sixth police chief in 1938.
Although his predecessors had arrested mostly drunks and
transients, by 1940 the department traffic problems,
burglaries and juvenile delinquency were all in a day's
work for WPD officers. Following World War II the
department grew larger and more sophisticated. Officer
standards were raised, and the importance of continuing
education recognized. In 1954 Arthur Mallory was sworn
in as Chief, and in 1955, the department moved into its
present Painter Avenue site.
Ebert McKinney was sworn in as Chief in 1960, and within
a year the annexation of East Whittier doubled both the
city's size and population. In 1962 young men between
the ages of 18-21 considering a career in law
enforcement were recruited as cadets to serve as
non-sworn personnel, primarily in Dispatch. Many went on
to become sworn officers. By 1965, the force numbered 78
sworn officers and 20 civilians.
 In
1967 James Bale, became the first chief hired from
outside the department. In the 1970's the department
hired its first woman police officer, and special
programs were implemented targeting such activities as
massage parlors, porno, and nude dancing. In
1977 John Pierce became the first Whittier officer
killed in the line of duty. Two years later Detective
Mike Lane became the second.
In the 80's came Community Policing with Neighborhood
Watch programs, educational puppet shows for school
children and senior citizens, A D.U.I. program reduced
the number of drunk driver arrests, the first department
K-9 dogs went into action and the department worked with
other local law enforcement agencies to curb drug
trafficking. In 1989, after 40 years, Uptown Whittier
again had a foot patrol officer.
When Charles B. Hoover was sworn in as Chief in 1990,
the war on drugs and gangs remained a top priority. In
1993, an Uptown Bike Patrol began covering the Uptown
business Section, and a Mobile Command Center began
operating at Broadway Park. In July of 1995, 29 new
officers were sworn in as the department added the City
of Santa Fe Springs to its jurisdiction. Three Community
Response Centers; one on Greenleaf Avenue, one on
Lambert Road and another in the Whittwood Shopping
Center, provided a closer link with residents.
In 2000, Chief David M. Singer was sworn in to lead the
Department. Chief Singer came to Whittier with
many
years of law enforcement experience including holding
the position of Chief of Police at Signal Hill.
The WPD welcomes community involvement through its
Volunteer Group and Reserve Officer programs for adults
and seniors, a Cadet Programs for young men and women
between the ages of 15-21, and Junior Cadets for boys
and girls between the ages of 12-16. The WPD employees
and volunteers take pride in living up to the department
motto: Quality People - Quality Service.
|
|
|
|
