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ESTABLISHED 1893
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History, The early years...
Back in 1877 a town meeting was held where it was decided to employ night watchmen; two men in the south village and one in the north village due to increasing burglaries. Other groups employed during this period included the Mutual Protective Association, and The Society For The Prevention of Horse Thieving, then a very serious crime. Sixteen years would pass before the town would vote to establish a formal police department. Below is a timeline tour from 1893 to present. Don't forget to check section 2 for other events from the past. |
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Howard G. Arms 1893-1906
Bristol's first police chief, Howard G. Arms, served as sheriff before the department was created by the city burgesses on November 20, 1893. At that meeting the board, the precursor to the city council, adopted the recommendation of the special committee on police that a chief and three policemen be hired. The new police chief would get a headquarters and a telephone for his official and personal use as compensation. A year later, Arms' pay was established at $21 a week and he was issued a uniform. The first policemen, two night officers and a Sunday patrolman, were paid 25 cents an hour. Chief Arms retired on April 1, 1906. |
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Ernest T. Belden 1906-1942
At the age of 26, Earnest T. Belden joined the force as a supernumerary in 1896, rising quickly through the ranks and becoming the departments first captain. When it needed a chief, the city looked to the Minnesota native to lead the young force. He did so for 36 years. Among other innovations, Belden was there when the city purchased its first police car in 1921 and when an early pistol range was established in 1937. Several used cars were looked at, but the city opted instead for a brand new Hudson touring car with a $2,500 price tag its first "cruiser". Belden attended funerals for two police officers under his command who were killed in the line of duty by gunmen - James McNamee in 1930 and James Burns in 1941. Chief Belden retired in 1942 at the age of 72. |
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Edmund S. Crowley 1942-1956
As the police department prepared to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the city went out of town to find a replacement for Chief Belden. The City Hall hierarchy looked one state over to Rhode Island, hiring a Providence sergeant to take the reins of the department. The city's third chief was credited for the modernization of the department during World War II and beyond. The installation of two-way radios in cruisers paid off in a short time with the arrest of a criminal whose description was broadcast over the air.
Chief Crowley retired in March 1956. |
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Thomas V. McCarthy 1956-1964
Born in Bristol Aug. 23, 1899, Thomas V. McCarthy held virtually every position in the department before being named chief. First appointed supernumerary in 1924, he became a regular patrolman two years later; a sergeant in 1941, lieutenant in 1944, captain in 1955, and chief upon Crowley's retirement in 1956. In the 1940's and 50's, McCarthy worked on four sensational murder cases while assigned to the detective division. McCarthy was 56 when he became Police Chief. He died in 1974, 10 years after his retirement. |
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Robert J. Grace 1964-1966
One month after Chief McCarthy called it quits, the Police Department was rocked by the worst scandal in its 71 year history. Ten officers and supervisors were suspended, and many ultimately fired or forced to resign, after an anonymous tip from a milkman was delivered to Mayor James P. Casey about a burglary ring involving city cops. It was in that setting that Lt. Robert Grace assumed the position of chief in 1964. Because of his short tenure as chief, the library's archives pay only passing attention to Chief Grace. His successor, however, later would recall the day in 1945 when two patrolmen; Grace, and Ptlm Meade, parlayed an otherwise routine accident investigation into the apprehension of the so-called "Silk Stocking Gang". Police departments throughout the state had been looking for the bandits who flipped their car on Wolcott Street. The two officers got a week off with pay. Chief Grace's first wife, Erma who became the city's first policewoman in 1960 - died in 1965. Chief Grace retired a year later. |
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William J. Mead, Jr. 1966-1978
In July 1942, eight months after the U.S. entered World War II, a 24 year old pipe fitter for New Departure-Hyatt followed his father's footsteps and became a Bristol police officer. He and Ptlm Grace apprehended the notorious "Silk Stocking Gang" in 1945 and were rewarded with a week off with pay. Meade was captain when the '64 burglary scandal erupted. He said in a 1978 interview that the city "got rid of some bad apples". Chief Meade rode out several political storms, including a 1974 ouster attempt by the mayor, and protests from the black community over the shooting death of a shoplifting suspect by a police officer in 1971. Meade died in February, 1999. He was remembered fondly at his funeral by working and retired officers alike, as a chief who proudly fought to improve the department's image. |
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John F. Oliver 1978-1989
In August 1978, the Police Board and City Council looked to the state's capital for its seventh police chief. John F. Oliver joined the Hartford Police Department in 1953. by 1971 he had risen through the ranks to become captain. When Oliver became chief of the Bristol Police Department in 1978, he said he was attracted to the city's "small town ambiance". But just two years later, the city became the scene of a statewide motorcycle rallyprotest over the light sentence of a former state legislator got for his involvement in a car crash that killed a biker. More than 500 motorcyclists descended on the city for what Oliver would recall as a standoff, with the crowd taunting police. Chief Oliver who developed heart problems, left on disability retirement in 1989. |
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Anthony Vastola 1989-1992
Anthony Vastola was a former New York City Police captain who served three years as Bristol's chief. Beginning with his highly politicized selection in 1989 and ending with his abrupt resignation in Feb, 1992. His standing order for "Accountability" was both liked and disliked by officers under his command. In the end, Chief Vastola modernized many of the rules of Command & Control that are still in operational existance today. He and his family moved to Florida after his departure from the Bristol CT Police Department. |
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William R. Kohnke 1993-1996
After a year and a half with Captain Daniel Ahearn serving as Acting Chief, William Kohnke from Colorado, was chosen as Police Chief and sworn in June 8, 1993. Kohnke initiated many progressive programs in Bristol. By obtaining technology grants, this web page was conceived and established in 1996, one of the first in the state. The installation of Mobile Data Terminals in the cruisers is another cutting edge tool in crime fighting. (See Technology Page). Also established, was the ERT (Emergency Response Team), a highly trained tactical group specially equipped to deal with barricaded persons, hostage situations and other emergencies. Kohnke resigned in 1996 and went on to become Chief in Pompano Beach, Florida. |
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John DiVenere 1997- present
John DiVenere was sworn in as Bristol's 10th Police Chief in April, 1997. He joined the force as a supernumerary officer in June 1976; becoming a full time officer in January 1978. Like Chief McCarthy, DiVenere worked his way up through the ranks and held nearly every position until becoming chief. His term marked the first time in over 30 years since the city had appointed an officer from the ranks to the position of Chief. DiVenere continues to add new technological advancements through federal grants and budgeting. The department has thus streamlined operations while increasing efficiency by identifying crime hotspots. As a result, overall crime has decreased through aggressive enforcement. |
Moments in BPD History
Click on the photo(s) for the full story
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1923 - Group
Photo at H.Q.
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1960's Officer
Connolly on foot
patrol in the West
End |
1967 - Union is
established; 1st
Contract Signed |
May 31, 1980
The M/C Riot.
"Our Longest Day" |
1973 - The Team
Patrol gathers by
a patrol scooter |
The 50's. Officers
donate time to
teach Drivers Ed |
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