Indian Chief Touring

1921 Dodge Patrol Paddy Wagon

1920 : Two Patrol Drivers and 1 Motorcycle Officer are listed on roster. 512 speeding tickets and 53 auto thefts are listed in department statistics.

Auto expense $1,388.96

Purchase car #58: $1,100.00

Purchase motorcycle #59: $390.00

1921 : Two Patrol Drivers and 2 Motorcycle Officers are listed on roster. O’Shea-Rogers Dodge dealership opens. Auto expense $2,774.62, purchase Dodge patrol: $1,300.00.

1922 : Two Patrol Drivers and 2 Motorcycle Officers are listed on personnel roster. Auto expense $2,579.27.

1923 : Due to concern over increased violent crime, LPD installed sidecars on four motorcycles. These specially equipped motorcycles would have a second officer with a shotgun riding in the sidecar and patrolling during night time hours. The roster shows 5 motorcycle officers and 6 officers assigned to the shotgun squad.

Auto expense $838.04

Purchase 4 motorcycles: $1,197.00

Purchase cars #87, 95: $434.07

1924 : The shotgun squad is reduced to 4 officers. For the first time the annual report shows a list for the number of vehicles and make that LPD has. No year is indicated as date of manufactured for the vehicles.

1 Studebaker Touring Car (Believe this was a 1918 Model)

1 Dodge Roadster (1924 based on Chief Anderson’s letter in 1930)

2 Dodge Touring Cars

1 Ford Coupe

1 Dodge Patrol Wagon (1921 purchase)

5 Henderson Motorcycles (no mention of the Harleys purchased earlier)

1925 : Annual Report shows 7 Henderson motorcycles. New motorcycles purchased: $2,680.56. Cars purchased: $2,015.00 (Believe this is the 1926 Ford Touring and 1926 Dodge Coupe based on Chief Anderson’s letter in 1930).

1926 : Roster shows 2 Patrol Drivers, 6 Motorcycle Officers, 2 Shotgun Squad. In the annual report, Chief Peter Johnstone stated that traffic problems had the largest total of arrests. The annexation of University Place and Bethany placed an extra burden on traffic enforcement. He indicated 4 more motorcycle officers were needed and that overall the size of the police force needed to be increased.

Car purchased: $1,814.85.

1927 : Ford ends production of Model T. Introduces the Model A.

Indian Chief Touring

1928 : LPD acquired a 1928 Chevrolet coupe when the city annexed College View. Car is listed in Chief Anderson’s letter to the mayor in 1930 as being in bad shape but, could be put into fair condition. Although LPD is motorized at this point, the roster showed 1 Mounted Officer.

Purchase cars #37, 54, 58: $1,494.15. DuTeau Chevrolet dealership opens.

1929 : Roster listed 2 Patrol Drivers, 6 Motorcycle Officers, 1 Mounted Patrolman. There is a $424.75 expense listed for care of horse. Alcohol Prohibition is a problem as the Annual Report shows 297 gallons of hooch was confiscated along with 322 gallons of liquor mash.

Purchase cars #2, 3, 4: $480.00 each.

1920 . A photo of the new Harley Davidson motorcycle (center) is taken in front of the station with LPD officers. The new motorcycle was designated as #59 and is flanked by two older Harleys with Major Gross sitting on the motorcycle to the right. There is no specific information on the purchase of the other motorcycles.


The purchase price for motorcycle #59 was $390.00. 1923 (estimated) . Based on available vehicle features, a best estimate of these vehicles would be as viewed from Left to Right:

Chief Johnstone: 1918 Studebaker Touring car

Major Gross: Indian Motorcycle and Henderson Motorcycle

Curtis Roper: 1917-19 Model T with a screen side delivery body

Leon Towle: 1922-23 Model T car*

Paul Shively: 1917-22 Model T car*

*The 1923 Annual report indicates Vehicles # 87 and 95 were purchased that year which could have been these cars.

Indian Chief Touring
Indian Chief Touring
Indian Chief Touring
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