SOURCE - http://www.salempd.org/history.htm ======================= SALEM POLICE DEPARTMENT ------------------------------------------------------------- History of the Department Salem is an old city that holds fast to its traditions. First settled in 1626, only six years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Salem was not incorporated as a city until March 23,1836. As with all emerging communities, the problem of social control existed from the very beginning in Salem. The first strife in the city resulted from the banning of Quakers from the colony. And so, in 1630, one John Woodbury was appointed Constable. His work and the work of those who assisted him was severely tried when a number of Quakers demonstrating against the Puritans attempted to break up church services, protesting against their vanities of dress, the Quakers also ran naked down Essex Street. Such offenses were not taken lightly. Three such offenses by one person resulted in the death sentence, although records reflect only that offenders were ordered from the city. All male inhabitants at that time were required to stand the watch by turn and it can be safely assumed that in the very beginning the community was, with few exceptions, law abiding. As early as November 10, 1676, a contract was given to one Arthur Hughes, who might well be considered Salem's first patrolman. "To be bellman and to walk the streets from ten o'clock until daybreak and to give notice of the time of night and what weather according to custom". Not until the year 1817 was the custom of calling the hour and the weather abandoned. In this day and age, it is difficult to imagine that this custom lasted nearly a century and a half. The first police station, or "watch house" as it was then called, was the first church established in the city. Sometime after 1666, a permanent watch house was built in the middle of Washington Street. For years, a soldier in full uniform, stood on top of the watch house in a continuing surveillance of the city. It can be assumed that his presence was due to the rise in power of King Philip, the Indian warrior chieftain whose followers ravaged the countryside. His duty, presumably, was to sound the alarm in the event of an impending raid. The fact that the watch house received a coat of paint in 1725, a rarity in those days, gives some evidence of the importance of the watch function even in the early days. Although city marshals were not officially appointed by the city until after May 12, 1836, there is evidence that marshals existed long before the city was incorporated. In the annals of Salem, reference is made to one George Herrick who claimed that in 1692 "His whole time had been consumed, as marshall and deputy sheriff, in cases of witchcraft." Prior to the incorporation of the city on March 23, 1836, a police court was established in Salem in 1831. This court was abolished in 1874 when the First District Court was established in the Flint Building on Washington Street. As it became increasingly obvious, as in all cities, that a more formal mode of police service was required, so it was on May 12, 1836, only 50 days after the incorporation of the city that an ordinance was passed which provided for the appointment of a city marshal. The ordinance read as follows: "Be it ordained by the city council of the city of Salem, that the Mayor and the aldermen shall forthwith appoint, and shall hereafter annually in the month of May, appoint a city marshal, who shall receive such compensation for his services as the city council shall annually direct." Section 2 of the same ordinance established the force: "Be it further ordained, that said marshal shall be appointed to the office of constable, and he shall have precedence and command over the other constables, whenever engaged in the same service, or when directed thereto by the Mayor and alderman." Salem had, without any doubt, one of the earliest paid police departments in the United States. Records indicate that funds for the purpose of law enforcement were appropriated as early as 1676. It is unclear from records when the first police station was built. The only real clue comes from the special rules and regulations for the government of the Salem Police Department published in 1865 which lists one Charles T. Conner as janitor of the police station. A map of the city, published in 1874, shows the police station at 11 Front Street. It can, therefore, be concluded that the Salem Police Department as we know it today, had its formal beginning with the establishment of a police station in approximately 1865. The police remained housed on Front Street until they moved around the corner to their new headquarters on Central Street in 1914. Since the department moved to its new headquarters building in 1914, it gradually grew with the city. In 1975, the department had reached the size of 91 sworn personnel. These personnel are divided into a day and night division, and these divisions are further divided. A far cry from 1630 when the settlement appointed John Woodbury as a constable. In February 1992, the Salem Police Department moved into its new 31,000 sq. foot modern facility. It is located on the outskirts of the downtown business area. The six million dollar facility is equipped with a state of the art Crime & Photo Lab, it has a 62-seat community auditorium with audio/video tape capabilities and a five-lane, computer-controlled firing range. The department also houses an exercise workout room for all personnel. The department is also fully handicap accessible. The number of individuals employed by the Salem Police Department are 93 including 1 Chief, 4 Captains, 6 Lieutenants, 14 Sergeants, 69 Patrol Officers, 21 Reserves and 4 matrons. Within these ranks there is a Criminal Investigation Division, Traffic Division, Special Operations Division, Four Certified Firearm Instructors, Juvenile Officer, Safety Officer, Two D.A.R.E. Officers (one being bilingual), 4 Bicycle Patrol Officers and a Dive Team. The Salem Police Department is very diverse with 84 male officers, 9 female officers and 6 bilingual officers. The first female officer was hired in 1977 and has since risen to the rank of Lieutenant. The Salem Police Department has been enforcing the laws of society and promoting order as early as the 1600's. Today the Department is continuing this goal by developing innovative programs which will educate the community and promote their involvement in creating a better quality of life for the citizens of Salem. _________________________________________________________________