The Police Department consisted of one
room next to the cell. These facilities were used until November 22,
1963, when the Hotel burned. [This was the same day President Kennedy
was assassinated in Dallas, Texas] There are enough stories connected
with that one night to fill a book.
In 1929, the City appointed the first
"Chief of Police," doing away with the title of "City
Marshal." The first Chief of Police was Claud Axbil. Chief of
Police was not his only duty. He was also the tax collector, street
superintendent and dog catcher. Once while acting as street
superintendent, he slipped while oiling the street, breaking his leg. He
had to pay his own medical bills, as there was no "I.O.D."
(workers compensation) in those days.
During this period of time the first
patrol car was purchased by the City. Prior to this time, the officers
walked, rode a bicycle or used their own vehicles. The patrol car
was a "touring car," similar to a four-door convertible,
except there were no windows. Windows were of "izing glass"
and canvas that snapped onto the canvas top and to the doors. Needless
to say, the vehicles were quite cold in the winter. To combat the cold,
the officers purchased gas type heaters with their own money.
The first uniforms consisted of a
"Stetson" and leather leggings of putties. What was worn
between these was up to the individual officer. In 1937, the shield
badge was changed to a seven point star type and a regular uniform was
adopted. This uniform consisted of khaki or tan for summer use and
"O.D." or "G.I." wool pants in the winter. When Camp
Roberts was being built, there was often confusion caused by the
similarity of the uniforms to the soldiers. Consequently, the Department
adopted "officer's pink" (pants worn by military officers).
Their caps were a bill type (black leather), rounded top, khaki in
color. This uniform stayed the same until the early 1950's when the
Department adopted the navy blue wool with the eight corner cap.
Old timers can remember the green light
that called the officer off his beat for a call before the Department
had radios. When the officer went out on patrol, he would turn a switch
that would cause a green light to go on whenever the phone rang. If the
phone was not answered in a certain period of time, the telephone
operator would take the information and give it to the officer when he
returned. The green light (actually, there were two) was located on a
sign on top of the Taylor Hotel and another on top of the Canary
Cottage. During the winter months the lights could be seen as far as
24th Street. The light system was used into the late 1940's when there
was only one patrolman on duty.
After the Taylor Hotel (called the Hot
Springs Hotel at that time) burned, the Police Department set up a
temporary station in a vacant telephone company building at the 700
block of 14th Street. In 1964, the Department moved to the Park and
Recreation building but it was still small. The present station on 10th
Street was converted from the lumber yard and jail cells were built
across the back.
The old timers of the area look back on
many of the early years as uneventful, peaceful times. However, there
was a period of less than five years that there were ten gun battles
with the Police Department, often resulting in one or more deaths and
several injuries.
Most of this history comes from memory
since there were no early records. The Police Department and the
officers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the people of Paso
Robles.
