City of Monroe Police History

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City of Monroe, MI
120 E. First Street
Monroe, MI 48161

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DEPARTMENT HISTORY

In 1817 Monroe County was set off from Wayne County by a proclamation of General Lewis Cass, Governor of the Michigan Territory. The Village of Monroe was organized April 12, 1827 and became the City of Monroe on March 22, 1837.

Town Marshals were responsible for maintaining law and order in the city of Monroe beginning in 1837. The Town Marshals served from 1837 through 1878. An Ordinance was passed on February 13, 1878 to provide for City Police. This ordinance established the Monroe Police Department. The title of Town Marshal was changed at that time to City Marshal. In 1913 a new city charter ended the reference to City Marshals and began the title of the Chief of Police. *Chief of Police existed before 1913 but it was not an official title according to the city charter.Below is a list of Monroe Town & City Marshals. There is a gap in the years surrounding the U.S. Civil War, and the names are not known at this time.

Town Marshals

Jacob W. Alexander - 1837
Benjamin W. Latham - 1838
Theron Taylor - 1839
John Anderson - 1840
Jacob W. Alexander - 1841
D H Carpenter - 1841
Timothy Hawley - 1842 to 1843
Jarvis Eldred - 1844 to 1852
Eldridge Brigham - 1853
Frederick Godfroy - 1854
John Molhollen - 1855
Sam Duvall - 1860 to 1861
John Duco - 1870
Thomas Strong - 1871
John Duco - 1874
Jarvis Eldred - 1875 to 1878

City Marshals

Erastus Hubble - 1879 - 1881
Jarvis Eldred - 1882
Frank Bendereiter - 1883
Christian Fay - 1885
George Ellis - 1886 to 1887
Frank Lemerand - 1888 to 1889
Jarvis Eldred - 1895 -1896
Joseph Anteau - 1901 - 1906
Sidney Eaton - 1906
Columbus Navarre - 1907
Columbus C. Dulco - 1908
Frank J. Forner - 1909 to 1917

The displayed photo was published in the Monroe Democrat newspaper in December of 1901. The photo, which pictured the entire Monroe Police Department was entitled "The City Guardians". Pictured (bottom left to right) Mayor Jacob Martin and Chief of Police, Joseph Anteau. (back row) Patrolmen Edward Burk, Louis Boudrie, Joseph Guyor and ColumbusNavarre.

* A special thank you to Bob Johnson, Official Monroe Police Department Historian, for providing the historical photographs and information for this web site.