 Click patch to return to the main page |
 |
| Please enjoy this look back into the history of the Easthampton Police Department and the men and women who have served. |
The following is summarized from a report given by Retired Sgt. Jack Ramsey: The History of the Easthampton Police Department dates back to 1856 when the town of Easthampton was protected by Constables who made $3.08 per year. The term cop is short for "Constable on Patrol." In 1869 the prisoners were kept in the basement and given only one cup of water. The first police officer was hired by the town of Easthampton in 1871 and his name was C.W. Hubbard and in 1872 John Welch was hired. The pay for the "night watch" in 1873 was $8.00 per month. The Town of Easthampton names their first Chief of Police, Chief Buckner and he served as chief from 1899 until 1916. The first police station was located on Union Street on the second floor above a store named "Grant's." In 1911 the police department consisted of the following officers: Arthur Axtell, Frank Brothers, Charls Butterfield, David Carter, George Cook, Mike Corkery, Wim Chipman, and John Daley. Chief Buckner in 1914 enacted the "red light system" and his letter stated "I would like to take this opportunity to call the attention of the citizens of the town to our red light system. If an officer is needed, a telephone call to the central office or to the office of the chief of police will cause the red light to be shown and an officer should respond promptly, Chief Buckner" These red lights were located on Cottage Street, Union Street, Main Street, Pleasant Street, and Parsons Street. When a call was received the operator would flip a switch and all the red lights in town would come on and when the officer noticed that the lights were flashing, he would go over to the red light and open the box and pick up the phone and receive his call. Retired Sgt. Jack Ramsey also stated that it was required that every hour the officer on duty must check in with the station by ringing one of the boxes. The phone number for the police was "145", but you did not dial it, you told this number to the operator on the other end. Retired Sgt. Ramsey explains that through his investigations and raids on illegal gambling houses that the most commonly played number with the bookies in Easthampton was 145. The Town of Easthampton in 1915 hired an officer to direct traffic at the Mt. Tom Junction which was a very busy switching station for the trolley cars. The Town of Easthampton named George Cook as the Chief of Police from 1916 until 1934. In 1917 the Easthampton Police Department purchased their first police vehicle. Prior to this, they shared one car between all the other departments within the town and you would request to use this one vehicle the night before. Arrests for 1918 consisted of 2 for speed, 19 for track walking, and 1 for the unlawful sale of wood. In 1921 the first white crosswalks were painted in town and the Easthampton Police Department purchased their first motorcycle. In 1808 the first mention of prisoner cells was made, although the original location is unknown. In 1869, the cells were located in the basement of the town hall. If you were arrested you were brought into the town hall, locked in a cell, and given a cup of water and then you were secured. At that point, they would lock up the town hall for the night and you were left until the next morning by yourself. The town hall in 1921 has an addition built and the police operated out of this area from 1921 until 1925 when the police department moved from this addition into the town hall itself. The prisoner's cells in 1921 consisted of only four cells and they were located in the center of the room and positioned back to back and separated by heavy metal plates. The prisoners had no running water or toilets in their cells, instead they had a bucket with a cover which they used to relieve themselves. The Easthampton Police Department from 1925 until the present day has not changed location and they are still there today (in approximately October of 1999, the police and fire departments are scheduled to move into the new Public Safety Complex on Payson Avenue). There were 300 arrests in the year 1922 and they consisted of 162 Americans, 16 Austrians, 14 Canadians, 1 Italian, 1 Irish, 9 Portuguese, 95 Russians, and 2 Scotch. In 1926 another motorcycle was purchased by the police department. In 1934 until 1945 James Campbell was the chief of police. In reading the notes of Chief Campbell, [there was] an interesting sentence which is still true today which states "All the police department must have the cooperation of the public to make it a success." The police department in 1934 consisted of the following officers: Frank Brodeur, Michael Corkey, George McEnvoy, Carl Martell, James Murphy, John Huges, and John Donahue. Then from 1945 until 1970 the Chief of Police was Frank Skrzyniarz. Under the direction of Chief Skrzyniarz the police department consisted of the following officers: John Donohue, Joe Cykowski, Ed Slattery, Oliva Dragon, Henry Leveille, Carl Martell, George Hezis, Charles Klekotka, Raymond LaCroix, and Archie LaPointe. The first radios were only one-way radios, so the dispatcher would give out the call and hope and pray that the officer, if he was in the car at the time, heard the message. Then in 1945, two-way radios were now available and then in 1960 Easthampton purchased their first "walkie-talkie" which was a "Motorola HT 200." Retired Sgt. Ramsey also states that when the police department received new radios, the old ones were given to the fire department, then to the highway department, and finally to the dog officer. Then in 1971 until 1986 Robert Allen was the Chief of Police.
The Easthampton Police Department under the direction of chief Bruce McMahon consists of the following:
Capt. Donald Emerson Staff Sgt. Chris Patnode Sgt. Brian Ross Ofc. Gary Shepard Ofc. Alan Schadel Ofc. Robert Pouska Ofc. Raymond Croze Det. Robert Alberti Ofc. Dennis Scribner Ofc. Tammy Kaleta Ofc.Todd Joseph Ofc. Anthony Covalli Ofc. Nathan Sansouci Ofc. Chad Alexander |
