OXFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT'S HISTORY

The Village of Oxford was incorporated in 1876 and at that time appointed its first Village Marshal, who was the only “law” in town for many years. In the early 1900’s after a rash of suspicious fires and break-in’s in the Downtown area, merchants approached the Village Council to hire a “Night Watchman” who was empowered as a Deputy Village Marshal. 

The person worked throughout the night, providing foot patrol in the Downtown area and otherwise assisting the Village Marshal, who also served as the Village Street Superintendent during the day.

In 1925 Jay Gould, the Village Night Watchman, was shot and killed while on foot patrol at the corner of Washington and Burdick Streets. The person(s) responsible were never located and there were no eyewitnesses. Newspapers of the era speculated that Officer Gould was shot by a “group of thugs” or “gangsters” because he interrupted criminal activity.

In 1941 The Village of Oxford’s population had grown sufficiently to convince the Village Council that the town needed additional law enforcement coverage. It was at this time that the Oxford Police Department was officially founded. Patrol Officers were hired to provide coverage around the clock and the town's first patrol car was purchased.  The first full-time Officer hired was Albert Roberts, who later became the Chief of Police in 1948 and remained the Chief of the Department until 1973 when he retired after serving 32 years.

In the early years the Police Department relied on private telephone answering services to receive requests for service.  A small white light was placed on top of the traffic signal at Washington and Burdick Streets and when illuminated by the answering services, the Officer on Duty would call in from the nearest available phone and find out the nature and location of the call. 

Radios were first implemented in 1950 and Pontiac Police Department provided the Dispatch service to the patrol car.  In 1955 24 hour Radio Dispatch service was first implemented at the Oxford Police department and a group of civilian Dispatchers were hired. 

By 1959 the Department had grown to include the Chief, a Patrol Sergeant, two full time Patrol Officers and 8 "Auxiliary" or Part Time Patrol Officers. An additional Full Time Patrol Officer was hired in 1969, and again in 1971 and the spring of 1975.

In the fall of 1975 the Village of Oxford entered into a contract to provide Police Services to the remainder of Oxford Township outside the Village.  At that time, 4 additional Full Time Patrol Officers were hired to bolster the ranks of the Department.

A year later, in the fall of 1976 another Full-Time Patrol Officer was hired, bringing the total Full Time compliment of the agency to 12. These Full-Time Patrol Officers were at this time supplemented by 8 Part-Time Patrol Officers who were fully empowered, and group of 10 Reserve Officers with limited arrest powers. In the Dispatch Center 4 Full Time and 6 Part Time personnel provided around the clock communications service.

In 2000 the Oxford Police Department was reorganized to provide Police services to the Village  of Oxford and the Sheriff assumed patrol of Oxford Township.