History of the Department

To even the most devout students of the history of Glens Falls the name of Harrard Green probably means very little, though the Green family itself figured prominently in the early founding development of the community. But Harrard Green was, nonetheless, an important man. For he was the first village constable ever elected in Glens Falls and symbolically at least, with his election law and order came to this frontier community of 1,289 souls.

Elected at the first village election on June 4, 1839, two months after the village received its charter of incorporation from the governor, Mr. Green is very germane to the account because in his ascendancy to the office of constable is to be found the genesis of the Glens Falls Police Department. It is true that a bureau or department of police was not organized until many decades later, but it is also true that such a department could only have evolved from less effective methods of policing.

Weather or not Mr. Green continued to serve as constable in 1840 is not an established fact, but it is possible he did. It is also possible that there was no constable in 1840, since the history of the Village of Glens Falls shows that the hardy inhabitants of those days could take their law or leave it alone. If the voters were of the mind at election time that the taxes were a mite heavier than they ought to be, it was a common thing for them to vote down any appropriation for defraying the fees of a constable and to get along without one until such a time as their disposition mellowed in relation to village expenditures.

In 1841, Enoch Ellis was the constable and was followed in that office in 1842 by one of those kinfolk, Zabina Ellis. The succession after that was as follows:

1843, William Robinson; 1844, unknown; 1845, William Crossett; 1846 and 1847, Ruben W. Knapp; 1856, Walter Smith Jr.; 1853 and 1854, no funds voted for this office; 1856, Walter Smith Jr.; 1857, William Pratt; 1858, 1859 and 1860, no constable on the payroll but a pound master serving part time.

Apparently stray animals, both pets and bests of burden, were annoying the populace at this time for the constable seems to have been charged at this point in favor of a pound master. In 1861 John Green served in this capacity, being followed by David B. Sanford in 1862 and Edward Jonbert in 1863.

When 1864 rolled around, policing had again become a matter of small consequence to local residents and there were none on regular calls. However, the records show that on Nov. 16, at special meeting called on the American Hotel, $200 was voted to pay "special officers for their services during and after the fire of 1864" which leveled a major portion of the business section.

The years 1865, 1866 and 1867 came and went, with apparently no breaches of the peace serious enough to compel the voters to approve funds for police protection. Then in 1868, the tide swung again toward law enforcement and Robert cox was chosen pound master. He served with enough distinction so that he was reappointed in 1869, a year which proved slightly revolutionary in local policing field. For that same year John D. Wright and Avery Bullen were named police constables to do regular patrol duty for $2 a night, no small sum in those days.

The revolution, however was as short lived as those of the South American variety, and 1870 found a return of the pound-master system. But a spark had been lighted, and it glowed brightly a year later when Dennis Harrigan was designated police constable.

By 1874, the village populace had apparently been convinced of the value of police protection for that year, Martin S. Brayman, Melville Bitely and John Wright were named policemen and the next year, 1875, the police ranks had been increased to four men. Mr. Brayman served again that year with the others being John Lamora, Cornelius Mahoney and Charles McMullen.

It began to look as though the law was really here to stay a year later when the police personnel was voted an appropriation of $2,200. Lamora and Mr. Mahoney held over, but Mr. Braymean and Mr. McMullen were succeeded by R. Augustus Haviland and Dennis McSweeney.

Then 1877 found a change of heart again and a proposal to raise $1825 for paying the policemen was defeated by a six-vote margin and there were no policemen that year. The next election found the voters in the same frame of mind, only more austere in their determination to keep taxes down, and the proposed police budget of $1,500 was scrapped by a 171-vote majority in a total wide vote of but 405. A second police less year ensued, the matter being corrected in 1879 when the police appropriation was carried and Melville Bitely, Martin Brayman, Warren Allen and John Lamora were appointed. The four-man aggregation was carried on in 1889 under and appropriation of $1,200. functioning smoothly until the 1881 election when the same $1,200 figure suddenly seemed like too much money to the voters and they defeated the police appropriation by 13 ballots.

That brings events to 1882 when there seems to have occurred another revolution under which four men, soon to become known as the "big four" were appointed as Glens Falls finest and continued to enforce the law as a team for several years. They were Reuben Doty, Patrick Conlin, Edward Read and James Cooney, four gentlemen who believed in putting both their best foot and best appearance forward. Though their own efforts, that soliciting local leaders, they raised funds for fine blue uniforms and became the first uniformed police the village ever had. Augustus Sherman was the principle contributor toward the fund to purchase the official finery; shown in a portrait of Mr. Reed which appears on succeeding pages along side that of present-day patrolmen John Hunt.

By 1897, with the village population standing at more then 10,000, the police force had been increased to five men. Their rate of pay was $41.68 a month with the chief receiving $50.00. At the time the officers were James Cooney, Charles Gravlin, Nicholas Lynch, James O'Connell and Edward J. Smith. Of this group, Mr. Lynch, with one or two brief interruptions, went on to serve the people of Glens Falls as a policeman for 40 years, retiring form the department on Oct. 31, 1944. An outstanding policeman, Mr. Lynch came out of retirement no later than last summer to serve for three months with the local department during a shortage of men.

The village continued to grow through the nineties and the police force was gradually augmented by additional men. But its complexion changed constantly, since Civil Service was unheard of in those days and the "spoils system" took its toll no heavier anywhere than in the Police Department. One year the policemen would all be Republicans, and the an other all Democrats.

By 1901, the department roster contained the names of nine patrolmen and a chief. The personnel that year, all of whom are shown in a group photo appearing on a page accompanying this history, was comprised of Maurice L. Robinson, chief, and patrolmen John H. Buckly, John h. Donahue, John H. LaPoint, David Droulette, Louis Vancette, George Carrol, Timothy Hickey, Cornelius Kennedy and William Barrett.

It was 1902 that Fred St. John became associated with the Police Department to begin a period of uninterrupted service that had stretched into 45 years with he retired Jan. 1 1947, with the rank of sergeant. he had previously served one term as constable in the Town of Queensbury, having been elected to that office in 1897 when he was 21 years old.

The first sergeancy in the department was created by the Board of Public Safety in 1924, Patrolmen Fred St. John being elevated to that office in December of that year.

Chief Jenkins, always alert to the trends of the times, saw advantage of scientific crime detection and the asset of the trained identification and fingerprint officer would be to the local department. To this post Patrolman Claude Stewart was named about the time of his appointment as a regular patrolman on Nov. 15, 1929. He began a local fingerprint and photo file which today contains 1,560 sets of fingerprints and a similar number of pictures of persons arrested in Glens Falls on felony charges. Patrolman Stewart also became the second captain in the Glens Falls Police Department, receiving his appointment June 16, 1933. He continued to serve as identification officer and finger print expert until he resigned from the department, Dec. 17, 1945, when Patrolman W. Harold Plumley was assigned to succeed him as technical expert.

In 1932, following the death of Chief Jenkins, Patrolman George H. Culver was appointed chief. A couple of years later, Patrolman Walter E. Duclos was transferred from uniform force to plainclothes work to assist Detective Kennedy. Upon the death of Kennedy in July of 1935, Patrolman Florence D. Sullivan was named an acting detective sergeant and handled investigations with the assistance of Plainclothesman Cuclos.

In July of 1935, Patrolman C. Edward Kennedy was elevated to uniformed sergeant and Acting Detective Sgt. Sullivan became a uniformed Sergeant May 1, 1936. The department then had three uniformed sergeants - St. John, Kennedy and Sullivan - or a sergeant in charge of each of the three eight hour platoons.

Shortly after Sullivan was promoted to a uniform sergeant, Patrolman Thomas A. Corbett was assigned to do plainclothes work with Detective Duclos. Both of these men were designated detective sergeants in 1940.

Besides the expansion of superior-officer and detective personnel during the 1930's and at least on other important advancement was made by the department. That was the acquisition of a police car, a Plymouth touring car, in 1930. This put an end to cumbersome system under which local police resorted to taxi service to answer calls and prosecute investigations.

About four years later a second car was purchased by the Board of Public Safety for use by the police Chief and the detective division and the department has always had two cars since that time. It is perhaps, time to say a word about the inception of two institutions which play a vital role in the well being and security of the present-day policeman. One is Civil Service, which insures the policeman of the steady employment regardless of the controlling political group, and the other a retirement system which assures him of income after the age of 65.

Glens Falls Police Motorcycle Officer in 1924

The Department was placed under civil service when the village became a city in 1908 and all patrolmen as well as department officers have been selected since that date from eligibility lists complied following written examinations. under Civil Service, the policeman is free from any political pressure since he can only be removed for misconduct which must be proven at a hearing before the Board of Public Safety.

In 1908, also, a pension system was instituted by the city, with the plan being financed as a city project. This plan continued until 1944, when under the second administration of mayor John Bazinet, all policemen were placed under the New York State Retirement System. Both the city and the policeman pay into this fund which provides a pension at age 65, but permits an employee to continue to work until he is 70 years of age if he is physically fit and wishes to.

Supplementing Civil Service and the pension and retirement systems, the policemen themselves took a step forward to improve their own welfare when they formed the Glens Falls Police Protective Association in 1930. This association and its parent state unit, the New York State Police Benevolent Association , strive constantly for legislation to better the working conditions of police officers, while under the local unit's financial regulations, members receive a sizable monetary award upon retirement in the event of their death before retirement, the award is made to their beneficiaries.

Under Chief Culver, Several Department improvements were made. These include the addition of a Tommy gun, gas gun, a rifle and shotgun to from an arsenal for use in emergencies, and the acquisition of a teletype machine. It was during Chief Culver's administration, too, that the city acquired its first policewoman, Mrs. Isabelle Loveland, secretary to the chief, was named to that post in March of 1938 and is still serving.

On Sept. 2, 1944, Chief Culver resigned to accept a position as a detective with the Automobile Underwriters' Bureau. He later abandoned this post until Feb. 23, 1945, when he resigned because of insufficient salary and later accepted an assignment with the FBI. Capt. Claude J. Stewart was Acting Chief during these absences of Chief Culver and after Culver's last resignation until he himself resigned Dec. 17, 1945. Sgt. Kennedy was Acting Captain during the same periods, being elevated to permanent captain Dec. 28 1945.

From an eligibility list complied after Chief Culver's resignation, Detective Sgt. Thomas A. Corbett was appointed chief, Nov. 17, 1945, and is still commander of the department.

The desirability of having two captains in the department-one to be on duty during the daylight hours and the other during the night - had been under study by the public safety commissioners for some time, when on July, 15 1947, they appointed Sgt. Sullivan a captain to serve alternately with Capt. Kennedy.

In the next year, a two-way police radio asked for first by Chief Culver and the by Chief Corbett - was purchased by the Board of Public Safety and both police cars were equipped . Already this equipment has demonstrated its worth in increasing efficiency, car thieves having been caught red handed at least two lives - one an attempted suicide - have been saved which otherwise might have been lost. Its irreplaceable value at auto-accident, drowning, fire and other emergency scenes, when ambulances, extra help and special equipment have been ordered in a matter of seconds, has been proven time and again in the brief period it has been in service.

This brings the history of the Police Department up to 1950 in this brief outline, which the Glens Falls Police Protective Association hopes to round out in booklets issued in future years. In closing this account, the program committee wishes to thank former Police Sgt. Fred St. John for the many hours he spent in research to assemble much of the material contained herein. The committee also wishes to thank him for making the scrap book of the late Jeremiah Mahoney, one of the founders and editors of the old Morning Star, available to them so that the very early history could be gleaned

The above history outline was taken from the Glens Falls City Shield, published on February 26, 1994 and republished on the Glens Falls Police Departments Web Site on June 28th, 2004 by Sergeant Robert J. Ash.

Brief History of the Glens Falls Police Department
Written by retired Police Sgt. John Burch

Like many organizations, the early years of the Glens Falls Police Department were difficult. In fact, during its first thirty-three years, there was so much turmoil it's a wonder the department continued on into this century. These were political years. The years when politicians ran the department. The years when you were replaced if you disagreed with those who held office. More commonly referred to as a time the spoils system operated in government.

In 1874, the Village of Glens Falls adopted a new charter. In the new charter there was a provision to establish a police department. Four men were appointed to serve, but there was no money to pay them.

In June of that year, voters turned down an appropriation of $1,800 to fund the department. Village trustees then raised $500 to pay for some limited police services.

Village President Jerome Lapham raised a subscription to purchase uniforms for the four original members of the force. Melville Bitely, Martin Brayman, J.D. Wright and James O'Leary were the first four members of the Glens Falls Police Department.

Village officials established three police districts in 1874. These were the area west of Glen Street, the area between Glen and Ridge Streets and that section of the village east of Ridge Street. Between the hours of 9 P.M. and 4 A.M., one officer was assigned to each district. The fourth officer worked the day shift.

There wasn't much for the day officer to do in these pre-automobile days. He did have to enforce a village ordinance the prohibited anyone from leaving a horse or team of horses on a village street without being tied.

There was some serious crime in those early days. Officers had to deal with a bank robber known as Buck Davis. Davis was not a violent person, but he was called "a bank buster deluxe." Whenever there was a bank robbery, everyone searched for Buck. Once he was arrested on a bank robbery warrant from Troy and confined to the village lockup. At this time the village lockup was on Glen Street where today you will find the offices of the Glens Falls Civic Center.

When officers locked him in his cell, Buck told them he would not be there long. A few minutes later, while the arresting officer was standing on Glen Street discussing the case with the district attorney, Buck walked by. He had picked the cell's lock and walked out of jail. He was quickly apprehended and returned to the cell where an officer was assigned to watch him.

In 1875, village taxpayers again voted on appropriations for the police department. Apparently, the informally organized officers made an impression on the taxpayers. This year they elected to provide $2,000 to formally organize the department.

R.Augustus Haviland was appointed the department's first chief. His patrolmen were Dennis McSweeney, John Lamora and Cornelius Mahony.

The department changed with each election. When a Democratic village administration won the election, they would put their friends to work in the police department. Likewise, a Republican administration appointed police officers who shared their views.

The position of chief of police changed with virtually every election. Haviland remained chief for three years. In 1879 and 1880, Melville Bitley was chief. From 1881 to 1884, the chief was Reuben Doty; 1885, John Donohue; 1886, Bitley was again appointed chief; 1887 to 1889, saw Dononhue's second term; 1890 to 1897, Philip James Cooney; 1898, Morris Robinson; 1899 to 1902, John Buckley; Morris Robinson served again in 1902; Edward Patterson and Nicholas Lynch also served as chief in 1902; Buckley served again in 1903 and 1904; in 1905, William Clothier was chief. The early chief's job was not for someone seeking job stability.

Finally in 1906, there was some stability in the police department's administration. Fred Jenkins was appointed chief in that year. When the village became a city in 1908, a civil service commission was established to appoint police officials. This removed some of the politics involved with the appointment of a police chief. It also resulted in Jenkins serving as chief until his death on November 22, 1932.

Chief Jenkins led the department through some of it's most difficult times. Labor unrest in the transportation and manufacturing industries was challenging for department members during these times. Officers were outnumbered by a thousand to one as they tried to control unruly strikers. The officers did not always win these confrontations. But, in the end, the crowds were brought under control.

The police department's next challenge came with prohibition. The main street in Glens Falls is also Route 9. In the days before the Adirondack Northway, Route 9 served as the main route from New York City to Canada. This popular highway was called "The Bootleg Trail." Glens Falls is conveniently situated halfway between New York and Canada. Bootleggers who liked to travel under the cover of darkness could only make it as far as Glens Falls before it was daylight. They would find a place to hide in this area and resume their travels the next night.

This resulted in a number of seizures of illegal alcohol by city police officers. It also resulted in Glens Falls Police Officers being involved in a number of high speed shoot em-up chases. But these were not the only prohibition type crimes city officers had to contend with. Diamond Jim Brady and other flamboyant prohibition characters hung their hats in our city. With them came the murders that were common among these gangsters. There were a number of murders in the city as gangs fought to gain control of bootlegging. And, as was common at the time, when a gang style murder took place, no one would see anything or know anything about the crime. Many went unsolved. The gangs best weapon was intimidation. They used this weapon well.

With the repeal of prohibition, gambling became the money making choice for gangsters. Gambling was tolerated for awhile. When officials decided to enforce gambling laws, it took a long time to eliminate it. Finally, after a lot of work by some very dedicated officers, gambling was brought under control.

The next few decades were ones of growth and modernization for the department. Like everywhere else, drugs became a priority for the department. For a number of years, many different approaches to combating drug crimes were tried. From undercover investigations to paid informants, the department did all it could to control drug activity. Like most police departments, we made some progress and had some set backs. Overall, our efforts were successful.

There have been many changes in the one hundred twenty-two year history of the Glens Falls Police Department. We have evolved from a four man department that didn't know if they would have funding for the next year to a modern police agency who's proactive approach to law enforcement has prepared it to be an effective and productive law enforcement agency able to meet the needs of it's community in the next century.