1854 |
When Stratford became incorporated the five-man council formed an official one-man Police Force. Constable George Larkworthy was that person at an annual salary of 80 pounds per annum. |
1855 |
Another officer, Edmund Townsend was appointed and he worked for free. |
1856 |
A second 'paid' constable was hired, tax collector Robert Monteith, who received 75 pounds per annum. |
1857 |
The town's new constable, James Hamilton, received on-call assistance from constables appointed by the county court of the general sessions. Mostly businessmen and hotel keepers these men assisted Constable Hamilton when fights, usually in taverns, got out of control. They also assisted at special occasions such as fairs and circuses. For $160.00 per year - plus fees, Constable Hamilton attended police court and council sessions. He also ensured the town caretaker tended fires, coal-oil lamps and candles, and prevented destruction of the town's property. He was responsible for rounding up stray livestock, supervising ditching, road and sidewalk construction. Additionally, he was the Truant Officer and Health & Sanitary Inspector. Traffic control was also the responsibility of the Police and the management of livestock within the city was the primary concern. In fact, in 1859 a By-law was passed to assist with the control of livestock by empowering the constable to impound stray pigs. |
1862 |
The next Constable appointed was Thomas Lunn who one year later was charged with extorting $2.00 from an apple seller. The jury found him guilty but he skipped bail and made his way to the United States. |
1868 |
Council appointed extra night policemen for as long as the Mayor and Reeve deemed necessary. This move was prompted by prominent resident J.J. E. Linton who had complained about the ‘morals’ of the town's youths. |
1872 |
Stratford's population had grown to approximately 5,000 and the Police Force size was officially increased to two constables with the addition of a full-time Night Constable. John A. McCarthy became the town's first Chief Constable. |
1876 |
Chief Constable John A. McCarthy hired his son John McCarthy (Jr) giving the force a compliment of three members. |
1883 |
The new Chief Constable, William B. Wilson, was fired for allegedly withholding fees from the municipality. Wilson then charged the mayor, William Roberts, with libel. A jury upheld Robert' s actions but nevertheless awarded Wilson $1.00 and costs. The Chief Constable was later cleared in court. |
1884 |
Another By-law was introduced prohibiting cows from running loose in certain seasons. Police also had to contend with Impromptu horse races on Ontario Street. Large crowds gathered to watch the races as youngsters challenged each other. This activity angered some residents particularly when it occurred on Sundays. |
1884 |
The next Chief was Thomas Dodds who was discharged the following year and resigned. |
1885 |
The next Chief was W.H. Harrington of St. Mary's. |
1888 |
John McCarthy Jr. was appointed Chief Constable and remained so until he was killed in 1913 at the fire that destroyed the Knox Presbyterian Church. Constable Matthew Hamilton and Fire Chief Hugh Durkin also perished in the fire. In the years near the turn of the century officers only means of transportation was by foot, bicycle or livery rigs and taxis when needed. Until 1920 contact between the officer on the beat and the Station Officer was impossible except when the two met at the Police Station. Later, red lights at intersections notified the beat man when he was needed. |
1913 |
William Lanin was appointed Chief of Police and he patterned the five-man department after the police department in Toronto. |
1920 |
Joseph L. Broadley appointed as Chief of Police |
1921 |
The Police Force received its first patrol car - a used McLaughlin-Buick for $1,500.00. |
1922 |
The Police force acquired a motorcycle and sidecar. |
1925 |
'Police Telephones', also known as ‘Call Boxes’ were installed in three locations in the City. |
1930 |
Charles Gagen appointed as Chief of Police |
1933 |
Robert J. Beatty appointed as Chief of Police |
1945 |
A.T. Day was appointed as Chief of Police. Chief Day was responsible for many new innovations within the Stratford Police Service, including a radio equipped patrol car, in-service officer training and civilian Receptionists/Clerks. He was also responsible in having city council form a Traffic Committee in the 1950's and helped plan the Police Area of the Administration of Justice Building in 1963. It remains the current police headquarters to this day. |
1945 |
Radio equipment was installed in the Force's only car. |
1965 |
Emmerson Anderson appointed Chief of Police |
1973 |
Stratford appoints its first female constable, Jacqueline (Phillips) Hall. |
1974 |
The Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) is introduced and Stratford begins to utilize it. |
1975 |
Norman E. MacDonald appointed Chief of Police. At this time the Stratford Police Force had 40 sworn officers and 14 Civilian employees. Four marked police cars (two of which were propane-powered) and two unmarked cars were the vehicles in use. |
1983 |
Stratford Police joined four other police agencies in the Police Regionalized Information & Data Entry (PRIDE) cooperative. The other original partners were the Brantford, Fergus, Guelph and Waterloo Regional Police Services. The Fergus Police Service no longer exists. Together we share a mutual Records Management System (RMS) and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. |
1985 |
Joseph Hartung is appointed Chief of Police |
1988 |
Lewis Lawson appointed Chief of Police |
1989 |
Stratford and the other PRIDE agencies install Mobile Work Stations (MDT’s) in its police cruisers. This innovation permits members to independently conduct CPIC queries from their cars. |
1995 |
The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) was formed to contend with potentially dangerous situations such as barricaded persons. The ERU members partake in monthly training sessions to keep their specialized skills sharp. |
1996 |
Gerald W. McEwin appointed as Stratford 15th Chief of Police. Also in 1996, to help patrol the city’s expansive park system and cope with high vehicular and pedestrian traffic during Festival season, a Bike Team was introduced. These members, generally two from each platoon, ride rugged and specially equipped mountain bicycles while on patrol. |
2003 |
With the advancement of technology, the original in-car MDT’s are replaced with state of the art Mobile Work Stations. These devices permit the officers to utilize additional software applications and databases. |
2004 |
The Stratford Police Service celebrates its 150th anniversary. A gala celebration is held and our new Stratford Police Service Crest is unveiled. |
2005 |
Stratford and the other PRIDE partners initiate the use of a new RMS – Niche – which can be accessed by members in the field via our Mobile Work Stations. |
2006 |
In response to escalating community concern over illicit drug abuse, particularly the use of Crystal Methamphetamine, a specialized Drug and Intelligence Unit is established. |
2008 |
Stratford and the other PRIDE partners begin to use a new CAD system from Intergraph. |
2009 |
Stratford and our other PRIDE partners join a national police information sharing group – the Police Information Portal (PIP) – which allows member agencies to access each other’s Records Management Systems. The result is an exponential increase to our investigative resources. |
2009 |
Our long-awaited new internet website is introduced. |
