Another growing departmental issue was the disciplining of their officers. One such incident occurred on July 24, 1895 when an Officer William H. Ryan came before the Board of Public Safety for the charge of “discharging a firearm unnecessarily in the city limits” when he shot an escaped prisoner who had been convicted of arson and attempted murder. Ryan pled guilty, but stated that he would do it again if given the opportunity. He was exonerated of all charges. Another occurred on October 21, 1895, when Officer Charles Habberman was dismissed for violating three of the new department policies; (1) Inefficiency of duty (2) Living with a known prostitute without benefit of marriage and (3) Obtaining money from a woman and refusing to return it.
Regardless, most citizens of Pensacola, as well as government officials, were very supportive of their officers. But on December 11, 1896, a Mr. John Lear who was a local stevedore, made a complaint against Officer Edward C. Briggs for an unwarranted clubbing of him during his arrest. The board of Public Safety investigated the incident and found that the clubbing was justified, and Officer Briggs was exonerated.
In 1896, Marshal Edward A. Wallace began making certain changes in the operation of his jail. It was the previous policy that female prisoners and male prisoners were housed separately; however, they could still talk to each other. He decided that this was not enough punishment for the prisoners. He believed they should not be allowed the luxury of speaking with members of the opposite sex. Consequently, he ordered a new jail built next door and the female prisoners, described as irreputable, were housed in the new building. By 1899, Wallace had left law enforcement and gone to work for the railroad. On July 2, 1900, at the age of 39-years old he was involved in a railroad accident near Selma, Alabama in a small town called Aldrich. He was the conductor on the Southern Railway that ran between Selma and Birmingham when he lost his footing and fell beneath the train and was killed. His wife’s brother Fred Massey was given the responsibility of going to his Warrington home and informing his sister of her husband’s death. His body was returned to Pensacola and buried in St. Michael’s Cemetery.
On September 3, 1897, Frank Wilde was appointed the new Pensacola marshal. The city marshal was essentially the chief of police during this day and time. However, he did not possess the authority to hire, fire, or, in most cases, discipline his staff. These decisions came under the authority of the Board of Public Safety. It was not until city officials reorganized their form of government and began operating under a city manager that the chief became the official department head with full authority over his agency. At that time, they changed the name from “Marshal” to “Chief of Police.” The new chief began recruiting officers based on their toughness, both mentally and physically, in order to maintain law and order in this spirited, coastal town. Chief Wilde would pass away on July 8, 1932 after a short illness at the age of 76-years old, the last of a dying breed. Not only was he one of the oldest living police officers in Pensacola, but was also one of the original volunteers with the fire department. Waters & Hibbert’s undertakers arranged the funeral services and he was buried in St. John’s in section #43.
To fill his vacancies, Chief Wilde convinced the city commission in 1900 that in order to maintain an efficient police force. they would have to have an increase in the department’s budget. The city commission agreed and allocated more funds to hire additional officers per the chief’s request. During the next several years, about a dozen new positions were created, which allowed the chief to assign more officers to the downtown area and some to the newly created neighborhoods such as North and East Hill. During the next eighteen years, funds allocated for the police department nearly doubled. The Police Department also began testing officers periodically as to their knowledge of the laws and the locations of businesses and streets within the city limits. They were also required to be in excellent physical shape in order to better perform their duties. New policies were introduced requiring officers to walk the streets in pairs for better protection especially in those areas surrounding the saloons and brothels. These policies went hand in hand with the city ordinances that required citizens to "move off the sidewalks" as officers approached them to the shout of “gang way there.”
As an additional motivator, officers of the day could share in the rewards of capturing wanted criminals. For instance, on June 24, 1900, Officer Wiley Celestine Ward, with the assistance of a citizen, Isau Vau, was able to capture a convicted murderer from Alabama. The sheriff of Lowndes County, Alabama, sent a reward for his actions and it was split between the two of them. Each man ended up with $4.00, which was a nice addition to the officer’s meager salary.
(continued in Part III)
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