1920-1929: Police and crime

Leslie Simmons

Glendale’s police force saw its share of vice during the decade known

as the Roaring ‘20s.

Already a “dry” city - there were no commercial businesses that sold

alcohol - Prohibition didn’t make a great impact on crime.

“Our records reflect that while there were major cases developed

involving commercial operations of illicit stills, alcohol-related crime

problems during Prohibition are still the ones we have today - public

drunkenness, drunk driving,” said Glendale Police Capt. Michael Post.

There were bootlegging operations, though, and many bootleggers stole

the illegal alcohol from others by posing as police officers.

The Glendale Police Department raided several of these operations by

doing undercover work - the first of its kind in for the city. The work

helped in one of Glendale’s biggest busts in February 1926.

That month, officers raided a home in the 1500 block of East Orange

Grove Avenue and seized 165 gallons of alcohol and two large stills

capable of handling about 225 gallons of mash, a Glendale Police

Department history book reported.

In December 1921, the department’s first scandal broke resulting in

the forced resignation of five police officials.

It began when a detective was fired for threatening another officer

and calling him names. As a result, the detective charged that then-Chief

Allen O. Martin accepted a bribe in a criminal case. Though he was

exonerated on that charge, the City Council criticized Martin for the way

he spent reward money paid to him for the arrest of the suspect in the

same case.

By March 1922, the City Council was bombarded by scores of complaints

of alleged misconduct by the chief - including abuse of employees,

misappropriation of evidence, improper use of police employees, frame-ups

in criminal cases, inefficiency and interference with private patrol

services.

Within three days, the council held a hearing which resulted in

Martin, two detective sergeants, one motor officer and one patrolman

resigning.

The first Glendale police officer to die in the line of duty since

Glendale annexed the city of Tropico in the previous decade happened in

1926.

On May 27, Leslie O. Clem, a motor officer, was chasing someone for

speeding. When the pursuit was near La Canada, Clem crashed after the

front tire dropped in a groove alongside the rails for a street car. His

skull was fractured and his knee was crushed. He died two days later.

1922-23 GLENDALE CRIME CASES

Assaults: 7

Burglaries: 189

Concealed weapons: 1

Disturbing the peace: 7

Drunks: 53

Held for other cities: 9

Petit larceny: 1

Murder: 1

Suicide: 2

Malicious mischief: 1

Traffic violations: 3,729

Vagrants and sleepers: 74

Reckless driving: 47

Holdup: 8

Liquor cases: 127

Thefts: 89

Prowlers: 63

Complaints received: 1,321

Persons reported missing: 139

Persons reported returned: 83

Autos stolen: 66

Autos recovered: 40

Bicycles stolen: 66

Bicycles recovered: 47

Articles lost: 63

Articles recovered or found: 55

Fire calls answered: 110

Meals given: 427

Accidents reported: 1,122

Source: A July 3, 1923 memo published in “Glendale Police Department,

a Pictorial History 1851-1990.”