HISTORY OF
LAWRENCEVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT
by
Chief
Pond
The
Lawrenceville Police Department had its origins in 1874
when the Town was incorporated and the Town Charter as
granted by the Virginia General Assembly authorized the
appointment of a Town Sergeant. The first Town Sergeant
was F. W. Jones whose duties included Town Code
enforcement, collection of taxes, collection of license
fees, and “other duties as may be assigned.” Among the
Town ordinances the Town Sergeant was responsible for
enforcing in 1875 were a $2 fine for shooting a gun in
the street and a $5 fine for running a horse in the
street or riding one on the sidewalk.
The
Town Council was asked to consider the employment of a
“night watchman” in January of 1895. This was the first
consideration of a second policeman or Deputy Sergeant
on record and $4 per month was appropriated by the
Council toward the employment of the night watchman if
that $4 sum was matched by the citizens. The first
night watchman position was held by B J. Harrison until
November of 1895 when the position was discontinued.
L.
R. Vaughan was appointed Town Sergeant in 1912 at a
salary or $75 per month. In addition to the original
duties of the Town Sergeant, he was asked to
“superintend the building and repairing of streets and
sidewalks, make out the tax books and collect taxes,
collect water, sewer, and light accounts, rents,and
tolls.”
In
April of 1917 the merchants and businessmen of Main
Street raised money and the position of “night man” was
authorized once again. In October of 1920 the police
committee of the Town Council officially recognized the
importance of employing a night policeman “pointing out
frequent robberies of banks, etc in the State and the
danger of fires at this season”. In December of 1922 T.
L. (Tom) Stanley was appointed as night policeman and
elected policeman and night watchman at a salary of $100
per month.
On
August 30, 1930 there was a special meeting of the Town
Council because an audit showed a shortage of $4039.63
in the accounts of Town Sergeant S H. Browder and his
resignation was requested. Tom Stanley was then
appointed Town Sergeant and A. R. Pentecost was
appointed night policeman in September of 1930, the
beginning of a 40 year career with the Town. In
November of 1930 (Governor) A. S. Harrison Jr. was
appointed as Town Attorney.
A.R. Pentecost, who worked seven nights a week from
9pm-6am, was on patrol late in February 1931 when he and
his dog Toby surprised four men from Petersburg while
they were attempting to break into the basement of W. S.
Peebles Company. A brief gun battle ensued during which
Officer Pentecost was shot once after knocking one of
the burglars down with gunfire. Officer Pentecost was
taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Richmond where he
spent a week recovering after the bullet, which had
lodged near his heart, was removed. The four men from
Petersburg were apprehended and the hospital bill was
$65.13.
Future Governor Albertis S. Harrison Jr., while
performing his duties as Town Attorney sought and
received a change in the Town Charter from the General
Assembly enabling the Town to establish and maintain a
department or division of police. On February 13, 1934
the Town Sergeant was given the same powers as a
constable within the Town limits and to a distance of
one mile beyond. June of 1935 saw the Town authorize
uniforms for the Sergeant and Deputy Sergeant with the
Town to pay one half the cost. The Sergeant and Deputy
Sergeant salaries were set at $135 and $125 per month
respectively.
In
order to summon the night policeman a signal bell was
installed on the Mayor’s office in March of 1938 since
it “would be very helpful in locating the night
policeman.”
The
first record of a formal police school comes in 1940
when Officer H. S. Fleshood attended a two week school
at the University of Richmond sponsored by the Virginia
Police Executives Association. Officer Fleshood also
was the town’s first bicycle patrol Officer when in 1942
the Town authorized the purchase of a bicycle from
Brunswick Ice and Coal. Officer Fleshood felt he could
better cover the Town at night by bicycle and thus give
“more protection to the people and property.” During
October of 1942 a third officer was hired to work
Saturday’s from noon until midnight and over the next
four years this position was made permanent. In April
of 1943 Town Sergeant Tom Stanley was given one half day
off per week to work his Victory Garden as part of the
war effort. As Deputy Sergeant A. R. Pentecost was the
only police officer in the entire County on duty all
night he was made the night jailer for Brunswick County
in March of 1944. Lawrenceville Police Department
Officers were the only police officers in the County on
Duty all night until the late 1980’s.
The
year after the war was eventful as the Lawrenceville
Police Department was blessed with the installation of
fifty parking meters on Main and Hicks Streets.
Raymond Poarch was hired by the Town on May 14 1946
after he returned from serving his country in the World
War II. Also in 1946 it was ordered that a signal bell
to summon officers be installed on Main Street to ring
simultaneously with the police telephone on the pole on
Hicks Street. To this point the only police vehicles
had been the occasional use of personal vehicles by
officers.
January of 1947 saw the granting by Town Council of one
day off per week for Chief Stanley, Officer Pentecost,
and Officer Poarch. The first parking meter complaint
was formally lodged early in 1947, the complaint being
that the officers were putting money in peoples meters
as opposed to writing parking tickets. Arrangements
were made in October of 1947 with State Trooper J. L.
Hedrick for a police school giving officers “about
twenty five hours instruction along all lines of police
activity.” Tom Stanley, who had been Town
Sergeant/Police Chief since 1931 passed on September 12,
1947.
During 1949 future Brunswick County Deputy Earl
Washburn was appointed to his first law enforcement
position when he went to work for the Lawrenceville
Police Department. The first proposal for a traffic
light at the corner of Main Street and Church Street was
made on November 8, 1949. Thirty years later the light
was installed.
“In
an effort to more strenuously enforce the Town ordinance
relative to speed and traffic” Lawrenceville bought its
first police car in October of 1950. The cost of the car
was $1397 and was purchased from Newsome and Allen
Motors. In August of 1951 D. T. Clary was hired as a
fourth officer and the first police radio was purchased
and installed in the police car. The radio frequency
was made compatible with Brunswick County’s existing
radio system, thus becoming part of the first central
dispatching system in the County. The next few years
saw the promotion of Raymond Poarch to Assistant Chief
and the hiring of future Brunswick County Sheriff P. G.
(Pete) Brockwell. In 1954 the Department roll
included Chief Pentecost, Assistant Chief Poarch,
Officer Luther King, and Officer Pete Brockwell, and in
1955 a sleeve insignia (shoulder patch) was designed and
worn on officer uniforms. State Senator Albertis
Harrison Jr. continued his duties as Town Attorney.
April of 1956 saw the police put under the supervision
of the Town Manager and in 1957 he recommended
improvements to the emergency telephone system by moving
one phone across the street from the courthouse to a
pole in front of F & M Bank, another to the corner of
Main and Hicks Street, and the addition of a third
emergency phone on the corner of Main and Church
Street. Albertis S. Harrison “discontinued his
connection as Town Attorney” in March of 1958 because of
his duties as Virginia’s Attorney General.
William Moody (father of present Officer William T.
Moody Jr.) joined the force in April of 1965 and was
assigned to work with the other officers until he
“learned the work expected of him.” September of 1965
saw present Town Attorney W. C. Outten paid $35 for his
services and in May of 1966 Freeman Majette, the Town’s
first minority officer was hired. In September of 1966
the force included Chief Pentecost, Assistant Chief
Poarch, Officer D. C. Brewer, and Officer Majette.
Chief A. R. Pentecost asked to be relieved of some of
his duties in March of 1968 and Officer Paul Lowell was
hired. Officers Lowell and Brewer had police dogs and
were authorized to use them on leash from 11pm until
7am. August of 1968 saw a fifth police officer added
and the force included Chief Pentecost, Assistant Chief
Poarch, D.C. Brewer, Paul Lowell, and George Vaughan.
Winifred Wray was a part time officer.
Chief Pentecost submitted a letter of resignation
effective September 1, 1970 after a 39 year 11 month
career with the Lawrenceville Police Department. After
his retirement he was hired to check parking meters and
could be seen at age 81 checking the meters walking with
a cane. At age 81 he was the oldest active duty
uniformed police officer in the State of Virginia.
Raymond Poarch became Police Chief, D. C. Brewer was
appointed Assistant Chief and the other officers on the
force were Paul Lowell and Lonnie Powell. In July of
1973 future Sheriff J. R. Woodley was hired as a police
officer with the Lawrenceville Police Department and
attended the five week Central Police Training Course.
Two other new officers attended school two day a week
for ten weeks at the Keysville Campus of Southside
Virginia Community College.
March of 1975 saw the purchase of the Police Department
first radar gun and the Town became a charter member of
the Central Virginia Criminal Justice Academy. August
of 1975 saw the hiring of future police chief Douglas
Pond. Through the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and through 2008
the Lawrenceville Police Department has kept pace with
changes in training and technology. Basic police
training has gone from eleven weeks in 1976 to a present
regimen of twenty three weeks at the Central Virginia
Criminal Justice Academy in Lynchburg. Also in the mix
are field training for the recruit and forty hours of
bi-annual in service training for veteran officers. All
this training is certified and approved for credit hours
by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice
Services. Current training is quite different from when
Officer Pond was put on night shift by himself after two
days on the force.
Firearms have gradually changed over from the universal
police and military Smith & Wesson Model 10 .38 Special
(first manufactured in 1899), to the Smith & Wesson
Model 64 .357 Caliber Stainless in the 80’s. In the
early 90’s the Department changed over to the semi
automatic pistol and currently carries the Sig Sauer
Model 229 .357 Caliber Semi automatic pistol.
Realizing the difficulty of operating a single police
vehicle twenty four hours a day, the Department kept a
potential 1976 Ford trade and purchased a 1978 Ford
while keeping the 1976 Ford as its first backup vehicle
which Chief Poarch drove while on patrol and to his
residence. In 1986 Town Council agreed to the purchase
and outfitting of used State Police cars and over a two
year period take home police cars became a matter of
policy for the Department. The present fleet of
vehicles includes five new vehicles beginning with a
cycle in 2003 and including the recent purchase of a
2007 Dodge Charger police package vehicle.
Lawrenceville Police Department maintains a 1996 Ford
Explorer and a 1996 Chevrolet Caprice for backup
vehicles.
Technology in the Department has taken great strides
since beginning with one car radio in the early 1950’s.
Officers now carry hand held (walkie-talkie) radios
while away from the vehicles, and other technology
includes laser radar, in car video, TASER, and four
computers in the office, one having a direct link to the
Brunswick County 911 computer aided dispatch system.
The majority of the modern equipment purchased over the
years has been made possible through the successful
writing of State and Federal Grant applications.
Salaries for the Department in 1975 were in the $5,000
range but have been increased by Town Council to be
competitive with other area law enforcement. Education
and specialized training has been encouraged by the
police committee and two officers are now currently
instructors at the police academy. Officer Pond
graduated from Southside Virginia Community College in
1978 with an Associate Degree in Police Science and was
appointed police chief when Raymond Poarch retired in
1984. B.N Newcomb was appointed Assistant Chief shortly
afterward and both administrators remain in place in
2008. Officers who have served with the Lawrenceville
Police Department in recent years are current State
Police Sergeant Ronald Daniel, Brunswick County
Detective Sergeant Everette Gibson who served with the
force for thirteen years and was the trainer and handler
of our drug dog “Jake”, Brunswick County Detective
Lieutenant Gary Peterson who served for four years,
Master Deputy William Smith who served for four years,
and Deputy Jeff Clary who served Lawrenceville for four
years .
Specialized assistance with crime scenes, critical
incidents, and special events is provided to the five
officer Lawrenceville Police Department through
agreements with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s
Department, Virginia State Police, Lawrenceville
Volunteer Fire Department, Brunswick Rescue Squad, St.
Paul’s Security, and the Virginia Department of
Transportation. Lawrenceville Officers provide
assistance to all area Departments at critical
incidents, special events, priority security details,
and crime scenes.
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