Department History
In the Beginning
 The roots of the Columbus Police Department can be traced to the
late 1800's. Although not an official police officer, City Marshal
Pat Hagerty, with the help of George Lewellen, kept an eye on things
for merchants and townsfolk.
Around 1895 the city added its first police officers, although
they weren't recognized by the City Council at that time.
Eight men made up that department, working four at a time in 12-hour
shifts. These men were John Ferguson, Newton Clark, George Smith,
Roger Dixon, Ed Garrison, Dad Hoffman, Henry Hoffman and Jim Henry.
There was a problem however. They didn't have a building for their
headquarters. Therefore, they used the offices of the local newspaper,
which was open all night. They grabbed naps on bundles of newsprint.
When George Caldwell became Mayor, he immediately put up an 8-by-10-foot
building east of the Crump Theater between the Donner Jewelry Store
and Patterson's Livery Stable. The headquarters even had a phone.
At the turn of the century, Charles Shepard, Curtis Vailes and
Ed Christie joined the department. The men patrolled the streets
and answered calls. But they retained the services of George Bassett,
a long time merchant policeman who rarely took his eye off the downtown.
First Organization
It wasn't until 1910 that Columbus had its first official, organized
police department and sworn officers.
Mayor Charles Barnaby appointed Stanley J. Cooper the first Chief.
Eight officers, paid $45 to $55 per month or approximately $600
per year, made up that first force.
 The city didn't waste any time recognizing the value of its officers.
The Common Council voted June 5, 1911, to offer them fringe benefits.
They were pretty healthy ones for that day and age. The four night
policemen were given a vacation of two weeks with full pay each
year. Day officers, however, didn't get the same treatment. Another
problem: a police committee decided when the time was right for
those night officers to take their vacations.
Officers in the earliest days didn't have nearly as much stress
as those today. They didn't have to worry about drunken drivers
or high-speed chases, since the most popular mode of transportation
was a horse and buggy. Their biggest problems were intoxicated people,
fights, and an occasional theft.
Without cars, however, officers really pounded their beats. Mostly,
they walked the streets on what was known as "stick runs",
although they sometimes rode bicycles.
They walked through taverns, down alleys, and checked the doors
of businesses, something they really didn't have to do since there
still was a small merchant police force at the time.
Along their route they would call the department on a telephone
(no radios back then) and tell where they were and what they were
doing. The department would then send the officer on any problems
that had been phoned in.
If the officers didn't call in on schedule, headquarters could
only assume there was a problem, so other officers would go searching
for them, tracing their steps since the last call they placed.
Jobs Change
The way Columbus Police Officers did their jobs changed drastically
in 1930. The department obtained its first car. But it was no ordinary
car. It was a Pontiac convertible touring car purchased for $700.
The bulletproof windshield and side shields and a slot for a machine
gun served one purpose; to protect officers from bank robber John
Dillinger, infamous for his disregard for anyone wearing a badge.
Radio Age
 The 1930's ended on a progressive note for the department. Radio
communications were created with the installation in 1939 of a new
transmitter at the old City Hall headquarters. Webb Miller was chief
then.
This one-way short-wave communications was station-to-car. It could
be heard from every corner of the city and even out into the county.
The only drawback was that the cars couldn't communicate with headquarters
or with each other. If the radio operator needed to talk with the
officer, the officer had to return to the station or else call from
a phone. It wasn't until 1941 that transmitters were added to the
patrol cars, making it a two-way system.
Today
Many things have changed since 1941. While the department only had
one patrol car in 1930, there are now approximately 50 squad cars
patrolling the streets of Columbus at different times throughout
the day and night.
 The insides of the police cars look a little bit different than
they used to as well. Two of the more striking additions have to
be the in-car video cameras and the laptop computers.
With the video cameras, the actions of the officer and those he
deals with during his tour of duty that day are recorded. Likewise,
so is the audio. This is for the protection of all parties involved.
With the laptop computers, officers can do many things. The Columbus
Police Department is well on it's way to becoming paperless. The
officer can fill out many of his or her reports from the squad car,
where it is then sent by radio wave to the police station where
it is stored on the server. Also, officers can run checks on driver's
licenses and license plates, among other things, on the laptop,
which are once again connected by way of radio waves and dedicated
phone lines to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Generally, the officer
will receive a response in a matter of seconds. The officers can
also use their laptops to communicate with each other as well as
the dispatcher at the station. There is also a screen on the laptop
which shows each officer all the other officers who are working,
to which area of the city they are assigned, and whether or not
they are currently on a call, and if so, where.
The Columbus Police Department today has 78 sworn officers. There
are also civilian personnel: a Police Athletic Activities League
Director, 3 records clerks, 2 Parking Enforcement Division employees,
3 secretaries, a police garage employee, 3 chaplains and a number
of school crossing guard personnel.
Several of today's officers have four-year degrees, while many
others have two-year associate degrees. Still more have acquired
college credits and are pursuing degrees. The department pays college
credit up to $2,850 per year.
Officer's pay begins at $38,332 for the first year probationary
period, with $40,360 being the base patrolman's salary thereafter.
These figures are valid as of January 2007.
Vacation time ranges from two weeks to five weeks per year depending
upon the number of years served. In addition to this, an officer
yearly will receive approximately 12 holiday days to be used as
vacation time as well. |
