Site Record

Metadata

Site#

151

Site Name

South Portland Police Department

Description

There are few records existing from South Portland's early police department. City and town reports in the mid-1800s (when we were the Town of Cape Elizabeth) show that the town often hired men on a part-time and/or temporary basis to provide police or constable services.

In the 1866 Town Report, we see this interesting paragraph: "We found it necessary to increase the police force the present year, for a short time. 'The roughs' who visited Portland after the great fire seeking plunder and finding none, naturally turned there [sic] attention to other places not so strongly guarded. The people living near the city became alarmed and petitioned us to station policemen at the Ferry, Knightville and Ligonia. We appointed one at each of those places for a few months, until the excitement abated and then discharged them."

In the 1868 Town Report, there was one paragraph related to the police department in 1867: "There has not been any regular Police the past year. A.J. Day served until some time in May, when he was discharged." Looking through the list of expenses for 1867, there were charges for rent and supplies to a police station in Ferry Village, and there were five men paid for part-time police, constable, and special police services that year.

In Mayor George T. Spear's report in the 1903-1904 City Report, he indicated that the police department was being overseen by Thomas F. O'Neil as its "chief advisor" and consisted of two police officers in 1903: William M. Burgess was appointed to police duty on the western side of the city, and Ralph W. Pray covered the eastern side. He further stated that the police presence had been especially important given that there were a large number of soldiers and other "strangers" in the city that summer when war maneuvers were being held.

The following year, Mayor Spear's report took on a decidedly sour tone when he complained that more money had been spent on police services in 1904 ($597.50) than ever before, and he attributed it to "diseased public sentiment" as residents were "sympathizing with and supporting the hoodlum element…against the officer of law and order."

In the 1905-1906 City Report, Mayor George Weeks provided much greater detail on the police department. The year 1905 represented the first year in which South Portland had police services year-round. Payroll again hit an all-time high at $2,109.60. The department consisted primarily of five officers (four regulars and one substitute) who were all assigned to duty at night to help keep the peace. He specifically noted how the police presence helped in Knightville, "where in the past, night has been made hideous, and rest impossible by noisy belated parties returning from Portland by way of the bridge after the [trolley] cars finished their trips for the night." Weeks also mentioned that the police department hired several officers to serve on Sundays at Fort Preble where crowds were gathering to watch athletic games. According to Weeks, the games were "giving us a reputation for lawlessness among those who do not understand that the case is beyond our jurisdiction."

Weeks also mentioned that in 1905, the Council voted to have two new jail cells installed in the basement of the Masonic building and, when they were ready, to discontinue the "lock-up on Thomas Street".

Fred G. Hamilton's mayoral address, given on March 8, 1909, gives some insight into the department at the time. "We appropriated for this [police] department only $900 the past year...It is a bad habit some of our citizens have of sympathizing with the rowdy class, and thus hamper the police officers in the discharge of their duty...It is my desire to appoint only such officers for police work as will command the respect of every one." We can infer from this that there was not a clamoring from the general populace to hire and pay for regular police officers. The small police department was handled more as a City budget item, with the Mayor appointing officers and the Aldermen watching the expenses in the City budget and reacting to specific incidents directly.

The first time that we find reference of a more formalized approach to a police department in South Portland is in the 1919-1920 City Annual Report, in which the "Report of Chief of Police" is printed for the first time. In that report, William C. Leonard indicates that he served as the Chief of Police starting on June 6, 1919 and was reporting statistics through January 26, 1920. In the following year's Annual Report, the police report was submitted by then Chief of Police Albert G. Brooks, stating that he became Chief on March 1, 1920. Brooks would continue as Chief of Police until he was arrested in 1924 on charges of hijacking, extortion and accepting bribes from rum runners.

Apparently gun-shy after the resignation of Chief Brooks in 1924, the City decided not to hire a new police chief; rather they proceeded with having the mayor and a police committee oversee the department, with the day-to-day operations handled by the Sergeant, Bob Abbott.

The first real beginning of a formalized, year-round police department was proposed by Mayor George H. Minott in his inaugural address on March 14, 1927. In his address, he stated, "Our police department has not been conducted in the past on extensive lines, being composed in large degree of part time men. I do believe the time is near at hand when an effort should be made to organize a permanent and all time department even though our start may be on a somewhat limited basis, and I recommend that the police committee give serious consideration to this problem during the coming year."

Minott's proposal came to fruition in 1928 with the appointment of Charles O. Spear, Jr. to the newly-created position of Chief of Police and Fire. Spear served as the Chief of Police in South Portland from 1928 to 1947.