The population of the Chelsea community in the early years was thinly spread. Puritan ideas prevailed eliminating the need of any one group to compel others to obey the law. An annual election was held to choose certain men to be tithingmen. It was the duty of the tithingmen to see that all persons be at meeting on the sabbath. Tithingmen were elected in Chelsea until 1834, when the title was changed to constable and given statewide powers when serving warrants in civil and criminal cases. The insignia of office was a long staff. There was no regular salary attached to the office but if called upon to keep peace at assemblies, the constable was paid a fee of one dollar. John Low and Benjamin Shurtleff were elected the first constables for Chelsea.
In 1847, for the first time, a night watch was instituted by the town at a cost of forty dollars for the year. As a result the town authorized the selectman to employ a night watch when they deemed it necessary. During the next two years it cost the town one hundred dollars for a night watch. During October 1849, a large number of fires were being set, {sometimes as many as three a night}. As a result, extra night watch was hired for the month.
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Prior to 1851, the town used a lightly built two story wooden shack for locking up law-breakers. It was located in what would become the yard of the town hall on Shurtleff Street. The second floor of the shack was the town paint shop. This created a hazardous condition, in the case of fire, for the law breakers who had to be handcuffed to prevent them from walking out. In 1851, a new lockup, a two story stone building was built on Division Street in the rear of what would later become Engine #1 fire station. The lockup was destroyed in the fire of 1908. |
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The Old Lockup |
One thousand dollars was appropriated in 1854, for night watch and Sunday Police. This was the year the "Knownothing Society" was active in Massachusetts, causing havoc and creating uprisings against foreigners and Irish Catholics. Chelsea experienced a part in this uprising when a group of Knownothings attacked the St. Rose Church, {then on Cottage Street}. They caused minor damage before being driven off by fifty hastily appointed policemen and a call for the militia.
A police court was established in 1855, at 220 Broadway with Hamlet Bates as the first justice. The first Chelsea city government in 1857, passed an ordinance establishing a Police Department with a marshal and six assistants. During the year there were a number of special officers appointed. The budget for the Police Department for the first year as a city, was $4450. Erastus Rugg was appointed first city marshall at a salary of $800 a year. The first entry in the police journal, made on July 13, 1857, read "Write anything you think will be interesting to the Police Department each day with your name.-E. Rugg." Five entrees followed: two arrested for drunkenness, a man arrested for shooting robins, an assault and battery complaint, a larceny and a boy and girl lost.
On July 7, 1871, the first death of a police officer in the line of duty was recorded: "For no explainable reason a man approached David Weber, on duty at the time, and shot him in the region of the heart from which he died."
In 1881 the title City Marshal was changed to Chief of Police, with two deputies and fifteen patrolmen.
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The first horse drawn patrol wagon was bought by the department in 1890. On October 25, 1898, the new $82,000 police station at 17-19 Park Street, was dedicated, on the former site of the Park Street School. |
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The first horse drawn patrol wagon |
The new Police Station 1898 |
The Gamewell Police Signal, a telephone system, was installed in the city in 1896.
The first motorized vehicles were bought for the police in 1912, one was a Moon Touring Car for regular use, the other was an Essex coupe for the Chief. The strength of the Police Department at the time of the Chelsea fire of 1908 was one chief, thirty eight regulars and eleven reserves. All regulars and reservemen responded on the sounding of the second alarm at 10:56 A.M. April 12, 1908, nineteen of the regulars and eleven of the reservemen lost their homes that day to the fire.
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Gaspar G. Shannon |
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The only man in the city's history to serve as both police and fire chief was David M. Hudson. Serving as Police Chief 1902 to 1908 and as Fire Chief from 1912 until his death in 1938. |
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David M. Hudson |
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County Road & Washington Ave., - March 31, 1918 |
Chelsea Square -1920 |
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Photo of the Chelsea Police Department, Traffic Division, was taken on July 26, 1928 on the sidewalk across the street from the police station. Captain Cornelius Duggan was the commanding officer and four of the men were assigned to motorcycles. Seated on their cycles are from left to right, Patrolman Frank Garrity, Jack Pike, Henry Whitten and Leon Ridlon. Standing in the front row are: Joe Fallon, John "Pop" Lynch, Captain Duggan, Warren Dewan and Joseph Innes Sr. In the back row are: John "Jada" Fahey, Joe Coughlin, Tom Jones, Dennis Sheehan, Joe Flynn, John Redington, Daniel F. Sullivan and John Cronin. |
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Chief Charles H. Wilson, Jr. 1983 - 1986 |
Chief Wilson was born in Chelsea the son of Polish & English immigrants. He had 1 brother, Ronald who was a Sgt. in the Chelsea Police Department, and 1 sister (Nancy). He attended Chelsea Schools. He was a WWII veteran having served in the Navy. Attended Northeastern University & Babson College. Married (wife Marilyn) had 4 children (3-daughters & 1-son). Has 3 grandchildren. Started as a reserve officer, and rose through the ranks to Chief. Retired in 1986. |
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Rafael Hernandez became Chief of Police in May of 1998. He was a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. |
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Rafael Hernandez |
