| Virgil Wright |
|
December 8, 1925 to January 14, 1926 |
| George Bausweine |
|
January 15, 1926 to March 31 1926 |
| C.L. "Larry" Walsh |
|
March 31, 1926 to July 4, 1926 |
| C.C. Freeman |
|
July 5, 1926 to October 4, 1926 |
| William L. Adams |
|
October 5, 1926 to June 9, 1928 |
| Joe M. Valley |
|
June 12, 1926 to March 22, 1929 |
| Clare G. Stout |
|
March 22, 1929 to October 6, 1930 |
| A.M. Wittkamp |
|
October 6, 1930 to July 23, 1936 |
| James R. Capehart |
|
August 1, 1936 to September 1, 1940 |
| E.W. Christian |
|
September 2, 1940 to November 15, 1941 |
| James R. Capehart |
|
November 16, 1941 to August 15, 1943 |
| James L. Lane |
|
September 28, 1943 to February 1, 1947 |
| Philip A. Thompson |
|
February 4, 1947 to December 24, 1965 |
| Woodrow "Woody" Malphurs |
|
December 28, 1965 to November1 ,1970 |
| Elton T. "Bud" Naylon |
|
November 1, 1970 to June 27, 1974 |
| Sam D. Martin |
|
June 28, 1974 to January 15, 1986 |
| Richard H. "Dick" Witt |
|
January 16, 1986 to May 1, 1996 |
| Mike Ignasiak |
|
May 1, 1996 to September 30, 1996 |
| Rick Stone |
|
October 1, 1996 to November 5, 1998 |
| Al Lamberti |
|
November 5, 1998 to July 23, 1999 |
| Jim Scarberry |
|
July 26, 1999 to November 2,
2007 |
| Chadwick E. Wagner |
|
November 3, 2007 to present |
In The Beginning:
When Joseph Young decided to incorporate
his dream development of Hollywood into a municipality, he saw an opportunity
to recover much of the money that he, through his company, had spent to
provide services such as water and street lighting to the early residents.
Further, he recognized that a municipal government had taxing and bond
issuing power which in the light of slowing real estate sales could provide
funds for his most ambitious project, the development of a deep water port
which Joe Young called Hollywood Harbour.
The charter of the new City Of Hollywood
was adopted on November 28, 1925 and Joseph W. Young, developer, dreamer
and virtually the father of Hollywood was appointed its first Mayor.
Mayor Young and the others who gathered
that day to celebrate the birth of the future "Diamond of the Gold Coast"
could not know that before a year had passed, a hurricane of immense proportion
would devastate the infant city; Joseph Young's corporate holdings and
his vast personal fortune would be under attack and that five different
men would occupy the post of Police Chief -- and less than seven weeks
after beginning the Police Department on December 8, 1925 that a young
man proudly wearing the badge of the newly formed Hollywood Police Department
would be gunned down in the line of duty.
Virgil Wright, a Broward County Deputy
Sheriff had occupied the law enforcement duties in and around the future
City of Hollywood for almost five years prior to its incorporation. It
therefore seemed natural for the newly appointed City Commission to extend
an invitation to Deputy Wright to become the first Hollywood Police Chief
On December 8, 1925, Chief Wright was sworn into office with the authorization
to hire up to ten police officers. One of the men hired was a young Maine
native, Owen Coleman. Officer Coleman, with an adventuresome New England
Yankee outlook had brought his new bride south in search of new opportunity.
Chief Wright became quickly disenchanted
with his new position and resigned to be replaced the following day, January
15, 1926, by George Bausweine, a veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department.
Officer Down:
Ten days after Chief Wright's resignation,
Officer Coleman was killed in a shoot out in Davie. The incident was reported
in the newspapers at the time. However the hurricane of 1926 which followed
some nine months later, obliterated all records of his tragic death. William
Wilbanks, a Professor of Criminology at Florida International University
as well as a researcher and historian of South Florida Police Officers
killed in the line of duty, discovered some vague references to the death
more than six decades later. Professor Wilbanks, working closely with Hollywood
Police Officer Paul Dungan, retrieved the records of Owen Coleman. On May
15, 1993 at a memorial service honoring Hollywood Police Officers killed
in the line of duty, Officer Coleman, the first Police Officer lost by
the citizens of Hollywood and members of the Department, was memorialized
with the four other Police Officers whose memories were honored.
During Chief Bausweine's two and one half
months at the helm, it is reported that the Department hired more than
seventy Police Officers, half of whom were assigned as Motorcycle Patrolmen;
one of those was R.H. "Bob" Banks, hired on March 9, 1926. Banks' son,
also Bob Banks, would follow in his father's footsteps as a Hollywood Police
Officer retiring in 1992 as a Captain after a distinguished career of twenty-nine
years.
Apparently tiring of his excesses in attempting
to replicate the Philadelphia Police Department, Chief Bausweine was dismissed
by the commission on March 31, 1926.
C.L. "Larry" Walsh, who was serving in
the interim as the City Manager, was appointed to fill the position of
Police Chief until a new one could be found. Walsh, Hollywood's third Police
Chief in four months, was a businessman and a pioneer of the area. He was
a member and one of the founders of the Businessman's Association which
until 1923 was the forerunner of the Chamber of Commerce. Walsh was the
owner and operator of the Wacico Groves in Davie and had just a year earlier
in 1925 been the Publisher / Editor of a newspaper called "The Davie Grower"
whose editorial policy was to maintain separation from Ft. Lauderdale and
Hollywood by opposing annexation into either city.
Joseph Young was impressed by the dynamic
and outspoken businessman and invited him to become a member of the Hollywood
"family". Larry Walsh accepted and sold his newspaper operation to another
critic of Joe Young, O.D. Stiles. C.L. "Larry" Walsh's future thereafter
was to remain entwined with Hollywood. Besides serving as City Manager
and Police Chief, Walsh was the City Auditor in 1927 and a member of the
Executive Committee for the original Broward County Port Authority when
it dedicated (in 1928) what would eventually become Port Everglades. Toward
the end of his service to the City of Hollywood, C.L. "Larry" Walsh was
a City Commissioner and during 1937 was the Vice-Mayor.
On the 4th of July, 1926 Chief Walsh declared
a personal independence day resigning as both Police Chief and City Manager
and returning for a short time, exclusively to his business. C.H. Windham
became the City Manager and appointed another company insider as Police
Chief. Seven months into its first year the fledgling department greeted
the fourth Police Chief, C.C. Freeman. Like Chief Walsh before him, Freeman's
appointment was intended to last until a permanent replacement could be
found. Chief Freeman was a businessman and as such a member and founder
of the Businessman's Association which during 1923 had given way to the
Chamber of Commerce. Chief Freeman at the time of his appointment to Police
Chief was serving a term as the 1926-1927 Chamber of Commerce President.
C.C. Freeman was one of the handful of men who had formed the Charter Committee
that, under the direction of Joseph W. Young, had throughout late 1924
and up until the charter adoption on November 28, 1925 planned for the
municipal incorporation of the City of Hollywood. When C.H. Windham resigned
as City Manager to head up Joseph Young's most ambitious project the development
of Hollywood Harbour, C.C. Freeman became City Manager as well as Police
Chief while the search continued for a qualified appointee. While the City
Manager from September 4, 1926 until March, 1928 when he resigned to devote
himself to the banking industry, C.C. Freeman continued to wear many hats.
With former City Manager C.H. Windham occupying the position of General
Manager for the Hollywood Harbour, Bay Mabel project which would someday
become Port Everglades, the current City Manager agreed to be the Finance
Chairman for the project and assisted in developing a major bond issue.
When the project was dedicated on February 28, 1928 C.C. Freeman was also
the first Chairman of the newly organized Broward County Port Authority.
Three months after taking over as Police
Chief and one month after also being City Manager as well, C.C. Freeman
on October 5, 1926 appointed William L. "Big Bill" Adams as the fifth Police
Chief of the Department.
Nature Takes A
Toll:
On September 17, 1926 a hurricane of catastrophic
proportion had almost leveled the City of Hollywood. When Chief Adams took
over, the residents were still digging out from the rubble and trying to
repair what was left of their town. Martial law had been declared and the
streets of the city were being secured by members of the Hollywood Police
Department and the National Guard under the command of Major E.C. Yates
and Captain Clare G. Stout.
Under Chief Adams the Police Department
began to take shape. Despite a total of fourteen personnel including himself,
the Chief created a structure that placed Sergeant G.M. Clark in charge
of the Department's four Patrol Officers, while C.M. Powell and C.H. Neese
divided around-the-clock Desk Sergeant duties. The Motorcycle Patrol, which
consisted of another four Police Officers, operated at the direction of
Senior Officer H.E. Dixon, who along with Sergeant Clark and Patrol Officer
S.L. Robinson, were all that remained of the original ten Police Officers
hired by the first Police Chief, Virgil Wright. Chief Adams also assigned
the first Detective in the history of the Department, Joe M. Valley. It
has been reported that in November of 1926, June M. Pyne was appointed
as the Department's first female Police Officer. Unquestionably the first
female to hold any position within the Department, historical documents
alternately refer to June Pyne as Matron or Policewoman. "Big Bill" Adams
resigned as Police Chief on June 9, 1928. Chief Adams subsequently was
elected as a member of the City Commission and served as the Mayor from
1931 to 1933 and again from 1934 to 1935.
With the Department two and one half years
old, the City's first Detective, Joe Valley, became the sixth Chief of
Police on June 12, 1928. The weight of command hung heavily on the former
Detective as he fired one Police Officer in October and suspended another
over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day of that year. And so on March 22,
1929 Joe Valley who had begun his career as a Hollywood Police Officer
on January 16, 1926, been assigned as a Detective on March 11, 1927, ended
a nine month tenure as Chief of Police.
Chief Clare G. Stout, hero of the aftermath
of the 1926 hurricane, became the next Hollywood Police Chief. Clare Stout
had been a Captain of infantry in the U.S. Army and for the three years
prior to his appointment as Chief, Captain of the local National Guard
Unit. Six weeks after becoming the Head of the Department, the total compliment
of personnel was halved from fourteen to seven. One of the casualties was
June Pyne. Perhaps it was his military background, his pioneer devotion
to the city he helped resurrect, or his association as a real estate salesman
for Joseph Young's company that made him so fiercely loyal and extremely
belligerent toward those who would attack the founder of Hollywood. O.D.
Stiles, who had purchased former Chief Larry Walsh's newspaper, was a constant
critic of Joseph Young and his company's activities. In an attempt to counter
newsman Stiles stinging news stories, J.W. Young began his own newspaper.
But there were other newspapers and as the City's economy became increasingly
weaker, the complaints about Joseph Young's hold on the City became concomitantly
more aggressive. In this tense environment, it is reported that after a
particularly critical news story, Chief Stout physically attacked and beat
O.D. Stiles.
On October 6, 1930 at a special meeting
of the Hollywood City Commission, Clare G. Stout was removed as the Police
Chief and replaced by veteran Motorcycle Patrolman A.M. Wittkamp. Economy
and the reorganization of the Department were the published reasons for
the change in administration.
Illicit Activities:
The economy of the City had become more
strained with the City unable to collect taxes and the United States, as
well as the rest of the world, reeling from the effects of the 1929 Stock
Market crash. South Florida's sunshine continued to attract those few who
had money to spend, including those members of organized crime who were
flourishing by supporting the illegal importation of booze from the nearby
Bahama Islands. The Volsted Act, also known as Prohibition, made Hollywood
and the rest of South Florida a gateway for transportation of the illegal
liquor to markets all over the country. Some of it stayed here and numerous
"restaurants" and "refreshment stands" popped up providing libations to
parched residents and visitors. In addition, there were locations where
another illegal but overlooked activity, gambling, was fueling the economy.
In her book the "History of Hollywood"
Mrs. Virginia E. TenEick wrote:
"The 1932-33 winter season was a financial struggle
for the commissioners. Police officers were using their personal cars for
patrol work, and they were required to pay half the costs of uniforms.
In November, 1931, the commission approved payment of the cost to paint
two of the privately-owned patrol cars. In January purchase of one car
for the police department was approved and it was noted the department
had one motorcycle.
The grim financial struggle of the city was reflected in excerpts
from minutes of the commission meetings. On 4pril 13, 1932, the
commission approved acceptance of city bonds in lieu of taxes.
Perhaps the lowest period, financially, in Hollywood's history was
recorded in the minutes of the July 27, 1932 meeting when it was announced
there were no funds in the treasury with which to meet the payroll. The
commissioners appealed to merchants to extend credit to city employees
until payroll could be met. The method used was issuance of letters
of credit to the employees. The mimeographed letters had spaces in which
each merchant entered his name, date and amount of the purchase. When the
specified amount of credit was exhausted, the letters were returned to
the city clerk's office. 4s funds again became available, the letters were
redeemed and each merchant was paid the amount due him.
In March 1933 the commission passed an ordinance prohibiting discount
sales of the Script (letters of credit) issued by the city for employees
on the payroll."
The Recovery:
By 1936 the country and local economies
were showing marked improvement. Chief Wittkamp, as had Chief Stout before
him, acted as the head of both Police and Fire Departments. On July 23,
1936 the City Commission acted upon the request of the City Manager for
a change. At a special meeting of the Commission, the Manager was given
the authority to replace Wittkamp as Police Chief and to hire a Fire Chief.
The day before the "firing", Chief Wittkamp had been asked to submit his
resignation and refused. The Mayor and a majority of the Commission felt
it was time for a change.
Chief Wittkamp left Hollywood but not law
enforcement, serving as a high-ranking member of the Broward Sheriff's
Office under the questionably honest Sheriff Walter Clark.
Many viewed Chief Wittkamp as doing what
needed to be done during trying times. Most felt that he acted with the
knowledge and support of the City Manager and the Commission and were angry
with the way in which he was dismissed. This reaction by the residents
of Hollywood is generally attributed as the impetus that placed all Police
and Fire personnel under Civil Service during the 1937 election and referendum.
Replacing Wittkamp a week later on August
1, 1936, was ten-year veteran James R. Capehart. Chief Capehart had grown
up in the Hollywood community and was reported to be a former newspaper
delivery boy during his youth for O.D. Stiles.
A newspaper article printed the day after
Chief Capehart's appointment is headlined "Shake-up of Cops Presages No
Welcome Signs for Crooks in Hollywood Next Winter." Further along in the
same news article it was stated, "One objective of the reorganized Hollywood
cops, it was said unofficially, will be to prevent the return to the city
of such characters as "Lucky" Luciano, convicted No. 1 vice ringer in New
York, who spent last winter here without molestation and to close the community
to gangsters confidence men and other undesirables."
In rebuking whatever Chief Wittkamp had
done wrong, the elected officials of Hollywood, along with various City
Managers, had punished him by keeping him in office more than three times
longer than any of his predecessors.
In the two and one-half years preceding
the appointment of Chief Capehart, three events had occurred which had
an effect on the City of Hollywood. December of 1933 marked the end of
Prohibition and the City Commission rushed to issue liquor licenses to
the numerous establishments that already existed, as well as allowing for
new locations. Secondly, on April 28, 1934, slightly more than three months
prior to what would have been his fifty-second birthday, Joseph W. Young,
the founder of Hollywood, died of an apparent heart attack. Finally, during
the course of this era of illegal distribution of alcoholic beverages,
famed organized crime financier Meyer Lansky, a regular figure to the South
Broward landscape, had noticed the willingness of most elected officials
to ignore violations of law providing the questionable activities suited
the encouragement of tourism and boosted the economy. Casino gambling was
such an activity and flourished under the careful nurturing of Lansky.
Although the activities involving liquor
sales and gambling were unofficially condoned during Chief Wittkamp's administration,
the City Commission was feeling increasing pressure to gain some control
over what was taking place. With the repeal of Prohibition at the end of
1933, the City had made it easy for drinking establishments to become legally
licensed, but so many had done business for so long illegally and without
a license that they scorned the need to comply. The casinos operating under
a thinly veiled guise as night-clubs and dinner clubs were so flagrantly
open about their operation that then Governor Spessard Holland directed
the closing of one of the establishments. It quickly reopened.
Hollywood Cracks
Down:
Jim Capehart knew Hollywood, all the players,
and most importantly how to take care of business. Within a week after
being appointed as the Chief of Police, the Ft. Lauderdale News reported
that Chief Capehart issued a statement in which he advised "We are not
hard-boiled, and we do not intend to make this a 'blue law' town, but we
believe we have the right to expect cooperation from all citizens. We will
enforce the law against those who after being fully warned and asked to
help us, insist on violating the law."
The applications for liquor licenses flooded
in and gambling activities at all locations became more circumspect.
Chief Capehart remained at the helm of
the Hollywood Police Department for four years. At the City Commission
Meeting of August 12, 1940 the City Manager announced that Chief Capehart
was resigning as the Chief of Police effective the 1st of September
and that following a brief leave of absence would remain as a lower ranking
member of the Police Department. Chief Capehart's replacement was Sergeant
E.W. Christian who had joined the Hollywood Police Department in December
of 1934.
Chief Christian's tenure as the Department
Head was so unremarkable that Hollywood historian Virginia Elliot TenEick
lists his initials as "C.W." instead of "E.W." In July of 1941 all of the
Department Heads, with the exception of Police and Fire who were under
Civil Service protection, were forced to resign "for the best interests
of the City." In the weeks and months that followed, a series of complaints
built up against E.W. Christian's administration, including the charge
at the Commission Meeting of September 8, 1941 that there was no enforcement
toward "loud music on the beach" and the outraged accusations leveled during
the September 15th meeting that "youth were drinking on the
beach."
On November 15, 1941, at the insistence
of the City Manager, Chief Christian resigned. Unlike Chief Capehart who
had preceded him, Chief Christian was denied the right by the Civil Service
Board to be rolled back to his former position and continue as a member
of the Department.
James R. Capehart, the former Chief and
still a member of the Department, reprised his role as Chief of Police
on November 16, 1941 and remained in that position until he again on August
15, 1943 voluntarily resigned as Chief with the provision that he remain
as a lower ranking member of the Department. James Capehart, who began
his career with the Hollywood Police Department in April 1929 under Chief
Clare G. Stout and was twice called upon to be the Department's Chief of
Police, died while still a member of the Department in January of 1945.
The Police Benevolent Association of Hollywood,
Florida held its organizational meeting on Friday, February 21, 1941. All
ten of the full time Police Officers were in attendance. Chief E.W. Christian,
along with former and future Chief James Capehart and joined by James L.
Lane, Carl Reid, Roy Moates and Phil Thompson, elected Robert Haymaker
as President, T.E. Kelly as Vice President, C.A. Powell as Secretary and
LeRoy Person to the position of Treasurer.
Less than six months after coming into
existence, the June 4, 1941 minutes of the P.B.A. meeting contains a motion
signifying things to come. "Motion by Thompson, seconded by Person: 'That
the Secretary write a letter to Chief of Police Christian stating that
members of this Association wish to go on record as requesting a day off
for each man every 11 days during the summer months. Also that they favor
a 6 working day week for members of the Police Department at the beginning
of the new fiscal year.' Motion carried unanimously."
A Struggle For
Chief:
When Chief Capehart announced his second
resignation, a competition for his replacement was touched off. Sergeant
Robert L. Haymaker who along with Sergeant James L. Lane was the highest
ranking officer in the Department, was named on August 1st as
the Acting Chief until a permanent appointment could be made. However,
at the Commission Meeting of July 27, 1943 the Chairman of the Civil Service
Board recommended that without a benefit of a civil service examination,
James L. Lane be appointed for six months and that thereafter if his performance
was satisfactory he be given permanent status. The Civil Service Board
was ordered to give an examination and prepare an eligibility list. The
next several City Commission Meetings saw sides drawn as Sergeant Haymaker
was denied eligibility to take the exam by the Civil Service Board due
to an earlier injury leaving a list of Sergeant Lane and senior Patrol
Officer Phil Tompson as candidates. The Civil Service Board now recommended
the second place finisher Thompson as Chief. The August 31, 1943 Commission
Meeting was the third time the appointment of a permanent Police Chief
was discussed. The City Manager, at the behest of the Civil Service Board
recommended P.A. Thompson. By a vote of 3 to 2, this was rejected.
The Mayor attempted to waive the civil
service requirements and name Acting Chief Haymaker permanently. After
heated discussion the issue was tabled until yet another meeting. The September
14, 1943 meeting was absent one Commissioner and each vote in the now seemingly
never ending debate was deadlocked 2 to 2. Finally, on the 28th
of September after the Civil Service Board withdrew their recommendation
of Phil Thompson noting that either candidate was qualified, the following
votes occurred; the City Manager recommended P.A. Thompson, failed 3 to
2; the Mayor recommended R.L. Haymaker, failed 3 to 2; with one candidate
left the City Manager recommended James L. Lane, passed 5 to 0.
Almost immediately after being appointed
as Chief, Jim Lane promoted Phil Thompson to Sergeant and subsequently
on October 1, 1946 Philip A. Thompson became the Hollywood Police Department's
first Lieutenant.
On February 1, 1947 the day after his fiftieth
birthday, Chief James L. Lane died of a heart attack. The entire twenty-one
man compliment of the Hollywood Police Department attended Chief Lane's
funeral while the Broward Sheriff's Office provided police coverage in
the City.
Philip A. Thompson began on February 4,
1947 what is the longest tenure for a Hollywood Police Chief. For the next
nineteen years the Police Department, which during its first twenty-two
years had seen twelve Chiefs at the helm, would know only Chief Thompson.
Several months prior to Chief Lane's death,
Sergeant Robert L. Haymaker made a career decision. On October 3, 1946
Sgt. Haymaker turned in his badge and returned to a civilian status in
order to run for political office. In April of 1947, a founding member
of the Hollywood P.B.A. and its first President, a man who four years earlier
was declared physically ineligible to compete for appointment as the City's
twelfth Chief of Police, was sworn in as Hollywood's thirteenth Mayor.
During Mayor Haymaker's two-year term he became a co-founder of the Hollywood
Elks Lodge.
Post World War II Hollywood was changing.
Homegrown military veterans, in addition to those who returned to make
Hollywood their residence after initial exposure to the City while members
of the Armed Forces, began demanding a greater crackdown on the still open
gambling prevalent throughout Hollywood and all of South Florida. Awakened
by a Pulitzer Prize winning series of articles published in the Miami Herald,
residents demanded that local officials stop the illegal activities. Over
the years between 1947 to 1951 a campaign eventually led by a United States
Senator from Tennessee, Estes Kefauver, exposed more than two decades of
illegalities and public corruption. Meyer Lansky and his associates ever
mindful of avoiding the consequences of an aroused public, found a hospitable
climate in Batista's Cuba and even more opportunity in the emergence of
legalized casino gambling in Las Vegas. While many identified organized
crime members continue to this day to retain homes throughout Broward County,
by 1952 all major investment in gambling enterprises had been transferred
to other localities.
Reorganization:
After becoming the Chief of Police, Phil
Thompson began reorganizing the Police Department. Chief Thompson had been
the Department's first and only Lieutenant until October of 1947, as a
part of his reorganization, he promoted C.A. Powell and W.W. Malphurs to
the rank of Lieutenant. Two years later in October of 1949 with the Department
continuing to grow and change, Lt. "Woody" Malphurs became the agency's
first Captain.
Chief Thompson, particularly in the early
stages of his administration, was a risk taker for change. At that time,
black or Afro-American Police Officers and women Police Officers were a
rarity in most places in the country, but most certainly in the South.
R.D. "Jay" Sanders, a resident of the Liberia
section of Hollywood began his career on the Police Department on January
1, 1951. As the City's first and for many years the only black Officer,
he stood as a pioneer and role model. When "Jay" Sanders retired from the
Hollywood Police Department in 1974, it was with pride that he could look
back upon a career that began before and bridged the Civil Rights Era of
the 1960's.
Almost thirty years before in 1926 there
exists conflicting documentation pertaining to June Pyne as Hollywood's
first Police Woman. Chief Thompson took his next big risk as a change agent
when on January 4, 1954 Sally Brown was hired as the "second" Policewoman.
Although they are in the minority, there are those who would laughingly
argue that Phil Thompson's greatest hiring risk came between "Jay" Sanders
in 1951 and Sally Brown in 1954, when in 1952 he hired Gerry Oldziej, Tony
Sandelier, and Ed Hustman.
All three men distinguished themselves
during their careers with the Hollywood Police Department. Tony Sandelier
in particular was recognized for his work with juveniles and his organizing
of the original P.A.L.
In 1960, Philip A. Thompson was elected
as the President of the Florida Police Chief's Association, but by now
in his fourteenth year as Hollywood's Police Chief, he was beginning to
draw increasing criticism. His administration however, continued to introduce
new concepts and in the mid 1960's, Dick North of the Hollywood Police
Department became Broward County's first K-9 officer. On December 24, 1965,
Chief Thompson, known to be under pressure from the City Manager and Mayor,
submitted his resignation citing health problems. The 54-year-old Thompson,
who joined the Hollywood Police Department twenty-seven years earlier in
1938, was replaced by the man whose career he had mentored, Woodrow "Woody"
Malphurs.
Structure Takes
Place:
Chief Malphurs, who joined the Department
in 1941, became the first designated Assistant Chief of Police in October
of 1953. He was officially confirmed as the fourteenth Chief by the Hollywood
Civil Service Board on December 28, 1965. Chief Malphurs made the organizational
decision not to name another Assistant Chief of Police, but instead divided
the duties between Captains Walter Nichols and Elton T. Naylon. He also
developed what he termed an Administrative Unit under the command of Sergeant
Carl King. King who reported directly to Chief Malphurs, was reportedly
responsible for development and adherence to policy and procedure, investigation
and application of internal disciplinary matters, and organized crime intelligence.
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Malphurs was known
for his proficiency as a firearms instructor and his enormous pride in
being a fourth generation Floridian. As the Chief of Police he would often
participate in interviewing prospective candidates for Police Officer.
An often repeated anecdote purports that at a point in each interview Chief
Malphurs with his Gainesville, Florida southern drawl would pointedly inquire
"Son, what do you know about fahrrrms?" Most of the candidates being natives
of the northeast region of the country would reply, "Well, I visited a
farm once." To which Malphurs would bellow, "Dammit, I'm not talkin' about
livestock, I'm talkin' about weapons-guns." Chief Malphurs before his retirement
on November 1, 1970 initiated the search for the site of the Police building
at 3250 Hollywood Boulevard and presided over the introduction of the first
formal Field Training Officer Program in the State of Florida. A particular
highlight of Chief Malphurs administration was the "cadet" program. An
education based early entry into law enforcement, this experiment with
recruitment produced departmental members Dennis Naylon, Darron Castiglione,
Don Korn, Roy Holloway, Earl Mitchell, Ron Pagano, Jeffrey Slagle, Jim
Weaving, Tommy Hopkins, Bill Buschman, Chris Neilson, Dave Elgersma and
Steve Zahn.
Elton T. "Bud" Naylon had begun his career
with the Hollywood Police Department on December 1, 1947 and six months
later in May, 1948 Police Officer Naylon's career seemed anything but auspicious
when according to a Department document he was suspended for ten days without
pay. Although the same document fails to disclose the cause of the suspension,
it is reasonable to assume it did not happen again as "Bud" Naylon made
his way upward in the Hollywood Police Department. He was chosen in November
1970 to replace "Woody' Malphurs. Chief Naylon in turn named his strongest
competitor for the position, Carl King, as the Assistant. Chief
Chief Naylon was a quiet, introspective
man, not given to outward displays of emotion. He believed in the value
of training as an additional armament in the protection and safety of Police
Officers.
Tragedy Strikes
Twice:
On November 18, 1972 no one within the
Hollywood Police Department was cognizant of the death in the line of duty
of Owen Coleman in January of 1926. Police Officer Henry T. Minard's shooting
death on that November day was believed then to be the first in Hollywood
history. Officer Minard, married and the father of two young children,
answered a silent holdup alarm at a jewelry store in the Hollywood Mall.
Acting perhaps a little too routinely to what he probably suspected was
another false alarm, Officer Minard failed to see the crouching robber
who fatally shot him.
The Hollywood Police Department was shocked
and grieved by Hank Minard's murder. None more than Chief Naylon. Ten months
later on August 30, 1973 Phillip C. Yourman and Byron T. Riley, while operating
a two-man patrol unit began a pursuit of a strong-arm robbery suspect vehicle
fleeing the Hollywood Fashion Mall and into nearby Lawn Acres. As they
sped through the quiet residential neighborhood on that summer evening,
the police vehicle began to gain ground. Past stop signs and squealing
around the curved streets, both cars hurtled, going faster and faster with
each passing second while approaching the unbanked curve at S. 57th Avenue
and Madison. Failing to safely negotiate the curve, the police vehicle
left the roadway and struck a tree. Police Officers Phillip Yourman and
Byron Riley died from their injuries.
Members of the Department were inconsolable.
Chief Naylon, whose basic nature didn't allow him to express the grief
he felt, became more withdrawn. By June of 1974, Chief Naylon had announced
his retirement.
Who would be chosen to replace 'Bud" Naylon
was a question to which several names were attached. Within the Department
many speculated that Captain Ed Hustman deserved the post, others recognized
that Captain Fred Rohloff had some support in City Hall and Captain Carl
King, although no longer viewed as a strong contender, could not be dismissed.
It came therefore as a mild surprise when a compromise candidate in the
person of Sam D. Martin was named as Chief of Police.
Chief Martin's
Administration:
Chief Martin capitalized on the surprise
when he reached into the ranks and named a young, popular Lieutenant, LeRoy
Hessler as the Assistant Chief.
From June 1974 when he was appointed Chief
of Police until he retired in January 1986, Sam Martin's administration
was constantly marked by a roller-coaster ride of triumph and tumult, punctuated
by tragedy.
Triumphs included the introduction into
the Hollywood Police Department in January of 1975 of Community Service
Officers. An innovative approach to freeing-up sworn officers by allowing
the lower paid C.S.O. to handle calls that didn't necessitate the application
of force or require criminal arrest power quickly caught on.
Although conceived during the administration
of Chief Malphurs the police station which by now was exceedingly long
overdue, broke ground at 3250 Hollywood Boulevard on October 10, 1974.
The Hollywood Police Department aggressively
pursued the acquisition of Federal Grant Funds. With the additional monies
the Department expanded its technology by adding its first computer thereby
significantly improving the ability of personnel to track crime and traffic
trends.
Chief Martin was able to add personnel
and provide crime suppression tactical units and methodologies such as
"Operation Reindeer", which focused upon apprehending criminals intent
on making victims of Christmas holiday shoppers.
Additional technology was added with the
adoption of the call-in report system which increased Departmental efficiency
by allowing a Police Officer to phone in a police incident report rather
than apply the more time consuming written hard copy method. The Hollywood
Police Department Dispatch Center was upgraded with new equipment and an
additional dispatch station in June of 1976.
In January 1978 Lieutenant Bill Callahan
received a call from a Hollywood citizen who described a community based
crime fighting technique called "Citizens Crime Watch". Chief Martin and
his staff quickly bought into it and in four months after the initial meeting
of "Citizens Crime Watch" the program Director, Sergeant Tony Alderson,
reported a membership of 4,200 people. Eventually, as the program grew,
retired Police Chief Elton "Bud" Naylon was hired as a full-time coordinator.
On September 19, 1976 six Hollywood Police
Officers were promoted. They were Captain Gerald Oldziej, Lt. Patton Roberts,
Lt. Alan Devin, Sgt. Don Korn, Sgt. Dennis Naylon and the Department's
first female sworn supervisor, Sgt. Christine Chamberlain. Three years
later in July 1979, Sgt. Chamberlain was again promoted, this time becoming
the Hollywood Police Department's first woman Lieutenant.
Lt. John Darcy headed up the Police Department's
Planning and Financial Management Unit and was well regarded for his budget
development abilities. In November of 1981, the City Manager made John
Darcy an offer he couldn't refuse. On November 30, 1981 former Police Lieutenant
John Darcy assumed his new position as an Assistant City Manager. John
remained in that position for ten years, ending his service to the City
of Hollywood in 1991 while serving as the Interim City Manager.
The disappearance of 6 year old Adam Walsh
on July 27, 1981, subsequently followed on August 10th by the gruesome
discovery of his severed head in a canal one hundred miles north in Indian
River County, initiated a massive investigation by the Hollywood Police
Department into the tragic death of the son of Reve and John Walsh.
Thousands of hours of police work have
been dedicated to this case which continues to remain unsolved despite
regular leads which are exhaustively followed up in the hope of ending
this mystery. From the beginning some of the Department's most qualified
investigators including Captains Carl King and Bob Mowers were joined by
Dick Hynds, J.B. Smith, Dennis Naylon, Bob Dunbar, Darron Castiglione,
Jim Gibbons and most persistently for more than a decade, Jack Hoffman.
With the passage of years leads became sparser, but not the resolve of
the Hollywood Police Department investigators, the latest of which Mark
Smith, has laboriously gleaned through the case file. Each investigator
knows that diligence, along with a break in another case, or a guilty conscience,
or any number of imponderables will lead to solving the case someday.
Bizzare Chain
Of Events:
As tragic as was the murder of Adam Walsh,
the foremost tragedy to strike the Hollywood Police Department during Chief
Martin's era was the killing of Police Officer Frankie Mae Shivers.
Officer John Lunney, on the evening of
September 4, 1982, was completing a traffic stop along the side of the
road on 441 when his police vehicle was struck in the rear by a car operated
by an apparently mentally deranged female. The force of the collision ruptured
the gas tank on the police unit, as well as driving it into the stopped
car. As his unit careened by, it struck Officer Lunney, leaving him although
not seriously injured, laying stunned upon the pavement. Back-up units
which responded included Officer Richie Allen and rookie Police Officer
Frankie Shivers. The leaking gasoline from the ruptured tank of the police
car combined with the heat from the engine of the vehicle which had rear-ended
it caused an explosion and fire which quickly threatened to engulf both
vehicles. As fellow Officers moved John Lunney to safety, Officers Allen
and Shivers attempted to extricate the deranged woman from the burning
car where she had locked herself. Finally forcing entry, they attempted
to pull her to safety, but she refused to go, forcibly struggling to remain
in the car. During the physical altercation, unseen by Richie Allen, the
woman wrestled Officer Shiver's weapon from her holster. The two shots
fired into Frankie Shivers were startling to the surrounding Police Officers.
As Officer Shivers fell back away from the car door, the female suspect
jumped into the rear seat of her vehicle and continued shooting at other
Officers. Officer Allen and numerous others returned the gunfire, fatally
wounding the suspect.
Officer Shivers, who was wearing a protective
vest, was critically struck by a bullet through the unprotected panels
on the right side of her chest. She was conscious and talking when transported
to Hollywood Memorial Hospital, but the projectile had passed completely
through her chest cavity doing irreparable injury. At a few minutes after
midnight at the beginning of a new day, September 5, 1982, Frankie Mae
Shivers age 28, rookie Police Officer, single mother of two young children,
died of a gunshot wound. She is believed to be the first female Police
Officer killed in the line of duty in the State of Florida. Frankie Shivers,
who had to try extra hard when going through the Broward County Police
Academy is memorialized at that academy by the "Frankie Shivers Award"
which is presented to the recruit who overcomes the most adversity in becoming
a Police Officer.
As a general evaluation, the Hollywood
Police Department could easily have served as a model of effectiveness
and progressiveness. But concurrent with each achievement of the Department
was a tumult which never seemed to subside.
Despite the numerous accomplishments of
Chief Martin's administration, detractors pointed to the negatives as the
true benchmark for judging his almost twelve years as Chief of Police.
Newspaper articles painted pictures of
Police Department personnel engaged in political intrigue leading to the
forced resignation of the City Manager. Other reports cited investigations
of Officers involved in on-duty gambling and off-duty bar room brawls.
Stories abounded concerning some applicants
for Sergeant receiving inside information about test questions, while other
sworn Departmental members who were supposed to be attending career service
training classes were conducting personal business after having been signed
in by a subordinate as being present for the classes.
Union Conflict:
A constant source
of conflict between the City and its Police Department were the issues
of collective bargaining. With each passing year the acrimony between City
Officials and organizations representing the Hollywood Police Officers
grew uglier. Initially represented by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP),
the rank and file switched their allegiance to the International Brotherhood
of Police Officers. The IBPO, with headquarters in New England, was known
for its militancy during collective bargaining and on September 13, 14
and 15, 1980 members of the Hollywood Police Department below the rank
of Lieutenant engaged in the "Blue Flu". The only recorded strike by Police
Officers in Florida brought chaos to the Department. It also brought a
new labor organization representative. The Broward County Police Benevolent
Association, whose chief architects were Steve Bias and Gil Frazier, was
chosen to restore order at the collective bargaining table. Internally
and externally several years passed before the harm caused by the strike
was overcome.
The most lurid tales
of the period concerned the off-duty security detail for a Saudi Sheik.
It was stated that so many members of the Department exercised days off,
vacation and compensatory time to act in the off-duty employment of the
Sheik and his entourage that the streets of Hollywood were left understaffed.
Rumors circulated of the Sheik's "slaves" being savagely beaten while members
of the Police Department who were being extravagantly paid stood by. It
took the Sheik's leaving Hollywood for the Department to get back on a
normal schedule.
Innuendo, spread
by anonymous sources to the news media and the City Commission members,
referred to favoritism and cronyism during promotion, transfer and assignment.
Although few of the negative references to the Department were accompanied
by proof, there were those who were willing to accept the old adage that
"where there's smoke, there's fire". So when Sam Martin announced his retirement,
his heir apparent, LeRoy Hessler found himself dogged by unsubstantiated
criticism.
Chief Witt Arrives:
After a national search, a Miami Police
Department veteran of twenty-six years was named on January 16, 1986 to
succeed Chief Martin. Richard H. Witt, who held the rank of Colonel upon
his retirement from Miami had extensive experience as a commander of the
Detective Division, Administrative Division, Community Relations and as
the Director of Training. Chief Witt was also knowledgeable in labor relations
and collective bargaining, having served as local and state President of
the FOP, as well as that organization's National Vice-President.
Although some members of the Department
had advanced their education, most notably Jim Walsh and Gil Frazier who
had both earned Law Degrees, few had been encouraged to continue a high
level of education or professional management training. Chief Witt instituted
contacts with local universities resulting in the Hollywood Police Station
becoming a satellite campus from which Baccalaureate and Masters Degrees
could be obtained. In addition, doors were opened at the F.B.I.'s National
Academy and the University of Louisville's prestigious Southern Police
Institute which provided leading edge Law Enforcement Management training
to the entire Department's command personnel. At the time of this writing
more than two dozen members of the Hollywood Police Department have entered
this nationally recognized select circle of professionals.
Increased levels of education and management
training began to be expressed as greater awareness of modern technology.
Jim Walsh, as the Deputy Chief of the Bureau of Staff Services, headed
up a group comprised of Major Bruce Davis, Brian Maher and Gerry Walsh
who subsequently after two years of exhaustive effort brought the Department
squarely into the modern computer era. Quickly following the completion
of the computer project was the beginning of a new city-wide radio communications
venture. This undertaking was lead by Deputy Chief Gil Frazier with the
initial support of Bruce Davis during the planning and design stages followed
by Ron Pagano at the installation and implementation phase. The Hollywood
Police Department Radio Communications System received national attention
in print and on television as the most advanced system of its kind in the
country.
Commitment To
The Community:
Chief Witt brought to the Department his
own personal commitment to children's' issues and to methods for averting
juvenile delinquency. What followed was the reforming of the Police Athletic
League (P.A.L.) under Jerry Christiansen assisted by John Nevins and others
in and out of the Police Department. The School Resource Officer Program
(S.R.O.) began in late 1986 under the supervision of Mike Ignasiak, quickly
gained recognition as Hollywood Police Officer Cyndi Commella was named
as the Outstanding S.R.O. in the State of Florida. Officers Jackee Nester
and Hector Zeno moved throughout the thirteen elementary schools in the
City delivering the message of D.A.R.E. Drug Awareness Resistance Education.
P.R.O.P., Police Referral Outreach Program, a holistic intervention approach
toward substance abuse continues to work with the Youth Services Unit.
Greg Saladino, a physically fit giant in police uniform was assigned in
1992 to provide guidance and act as a role model for the hundreds of kids
who participate at the Hollywood Boys and Girls Club. Dick Witt had been
the Boys and Girls Club original founding Chairman.
Employee recognition grew from monthly
presentations at the City Commission Meeting of the outstanding Police
Officer and Civilian to an annual luncheon honoring the Officer and Civilian
of the Year. Several Police Officers of the Year, including Larry Burgess,
Jerry Christiansen, Larry Holsington and Don Huneke were selected by other
agencies and organizations for statewide plaudits. Administrative Excellence
and Community Service Awards allowed all of the men and women, sworn and
non-Sworn members of the Department, to display their contributions to
the Department and the community.
Formalized but jocular promotional ceremonies
became events captured on video as an everlasting proud
event.
Hollywood Police Department's memorial
recognition of those Officers who gave their lives in the line of duty
for the citizens of this City has a solemnity and dignity which epitomizes
the members of the Honor Guard and Color Guard.
Every third year is "Homecoming" dedicated
to those who through their career contributions made the Hollywood Police
Department an organization filled with tradition.
While the Department continued to provide
a high level of community service it did not forget how to enforce the
law. In 1988 the Department began an expansion of community policing both
Downtown and on Hollywood Beach. By 1991 the Community Oriented Police
applications were being felt in neighborhoods which had displayed need
because of increased drug activity and commensurate crime. Coupled with
the response of the Street Crimes Unit, a proactive tactical team and the
constant responsiveness of Patrol and Detective Division personnel, a level
of accomplishment occurred in 1993 which was enviable. An analysis of reported
crime statistics from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement determined
that Hollywood had the lowest crime rate of South Florida's largest cities
and the second lowest crime rate of the largest cities throughout the State.
Adding to the success was the South Broward Drug Enforcement Unit, a federally
funded multi-agency organization headed by members of the Hollywood Police
Department. As well as the incredible effort to suppress and arrest major
drug dealers in the South Broward area, this group of dedicated, Municipal,
County, State and Federal Agents working under the umbrella of the Hollywood
Police Department Command Staff, seized millions of dollars in assets from
the drug cartels. The Department's ability to initially fund programs such
as S.R.O., D.A.R.E. and P.A.L., as well as support the purchase of the
computer and radio communication systems, grew from these assets being
converted for Law Enforcement purposes. The result was a more effective
Hollywood Police Department, but without the taxpaying public being forced to
dig deeper to achieve these gains.
The Department
was attracting a high quality
of applicant and increasingly expanded its diversity through
concerted minority recruitment. More of the children of those who had
previously worn the badge followed in the path of their parents. Sons and
daughters committed to serving the community.
Changes
in Leadership:
In 1995, the Hollywood Police Department was under the leadership of Chief
Richard “Dick” Witt. The Agency’s hiring process was questioned and the
subsequent investigation resulted in a complete revision of the entire hiring
process. Today, the Department’s hiring standards are some of the most stringent
in the State.
After 10 years of public service to the City of Hollywood, Chief Witt retired in
1995. Deputy Chief Mike Ignasiak was named Interim Chief by City Manager Sam
Finz. The City initiated a national search for a permanent replacement.
In 1996, the City Manager hired Rick Stone, a retired Police Chief from Wichita,
Kansas and a veteran of the Dallas, Texas Police Department. Chief Stone got off
to a good start but then began to openly clash with the Police Union and was
negotiated out of the Agency in 1998.
City Manager Sam Finz again wanted to explore nationally for a new Chief but was
faced with the fact that he did not have a Police Chief in place to continue the
daily operations. He reached out to Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne for a
temporary replacement. Sheriff Jenne provided Major Al Lamberti, Chief of
B.S.O.’s District 10. Chief Lamberti was a great fit and did a wonderful job,
but eventually returned to his assignment in the Broward Sheriff’s Office when
the City of Hollywood announced the hiring of James Scarberry as its 19th Police
Chief.
Chief Scarberry, a 27 year veteran of S.E. Florida law enforcement, was hired
away from the Miami Beach Police Department where he was serving as the Asst.
Police Chief. His local knowledge, expertise, and reputation as a “Cop” were
deciding factors in the Manager’s final decision. Chief Scarberry was strongly
supported by the Broward County PBA.
Under the direction of Chief Scarberry, the Department completed its first
Strategic Plan, restructured the Organization, prioritized accountability, and
instilled the Community Oriented Policing philosophy Agency wide. In 2001, the
Department was recognized in compliance with Accreditation Standards and was
awarded State Accreditation by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement
Accreditation (CFA) and also national recognition by the Commission on
Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
Through Chief Scarberry’s leadership, the Hollywood Police Department has also
moved aggressively into the area of technology. The Department is currently
partnering with B.S.O. to create a regional communications center with County
wide interoperability and sharing of information. This initiative is paramount
in the event of natural disasters or in today’s world, the possibility of
terrorist attacks. In addition, the Police Department has recently completed its
4 million dollar initiative funded via the GO bond. for further information, see
in Police technology.
What many other Police Departments strive for, the Hollywood Police Department
has attained as it continues to be one of the “Leaders in the Law Enforcement
Profession”.
On November 2, 2007, Chief James Scarberry retired from the
Hollywood Police Department.
The Future
Comes from Within:
Upon Chief Scarberry's retirement, City Manager Cameron Benson named
Assistant Chief of Police Chadwick E. Wagner as the Interim Chief of
Police. On March 10th, 2008, this temporary appointment became
permanent when the City Manager officially promoted Chadwick E. Wagner
to the position of Chief of Police. This promotion marked the
first time since the early 1970's that a Member of the Police
Department initially hired as a line-level road patrol Officer had
been promoted through the ranks throughout his career to become the
City's full-time Chief of Police.
