In the earliest times of Fond du Lac, the people had to look out for their own protection, and this was really the situation until after we became a city, as constables were of not much real use as public officers. When Fond du Lac was incorporated as a village in 1847, two constables were elected, and this continued until the city charter came in 1852. During this seven years we had George Williams, Carmi Wright, Joshua Barnet, George Croft, F. D. McCarty, Milford Can Dresar, Charles Van Norder, Forbes Homiston and others as constables, but to do police duty was below the dignity of their office, therefore the people, as a rule, seldom called on them for protection. And our first officers under the city government were little better. Under the city charter this officer was known as City marshal, but he had no assistants unless the council saw fit go give him help, which it seldom did, so that if he was fit for the office, he had to cover too much ground to be efficient.

During the fourteen years from 1852, when the city government began, to 1866, when the police force came into existence, we had the following City Marshals:
1852 - C. N. Snell
1853 - F. P. Homiston
1854 - John Case
1855 - I. W. Bowen
1856 - Daniel Banks
1857 - Charles Arlin
1858 - Charles Arlin
1859 - E. S. Hammond
1860 - B.F. Midgiey
1861 - Charles Van Norder
1862 - John Dobyns
1863 - John Dobyns
1865 - Phillip Zipp
1866 - Louis Ledoux

The legislature abolished the office in 1866 and the police force came into existence. Following are the chiefs of police since that time:
1867 - James T. Conklin
1868 - James T. Conklin
1869 - James O'Connel
1870 - I.N. Welch
1871 - I.N. Welch
1872 - James Swineford
1873 - James Swineford
1874 - Timothy Hardgrove
1875 - G.A. Kretlow
1876 - G.A. Kretlow
1877 - G.A. Kretlow
1878 - G.A. Kretlow
1879 - G.A. Kretlow
1880 - G.A. Kretlow
1881 - C.F.P. Clough
1882 - C.F.P. Clough
1883 - G.A. Kretlow
1884 - G.A. Kretlow
1885 - John Gill, served four months
1885 - Jos. Como, served eight months
1886 - G.A. Kretlow
1887 - G.A. Kretlow
1888 - G.A. Kretlow
1889 - Barney McDermott
1890 - Barney McDermott
1891 - Barney McDermott
1892 - H.W. Eaton
1893 - Thos. McGrath
1894 - Sealy O'Conor
1895 - Sealy O'Conor
1896 - Sealy O'Conor
1897 - Thos. McGrath
1898 - Thos. McGrath
1899 - Simon Schaefer, from Jan. 1st
1900 - Simon Schaefer
1901 - F. A. Nolan, to the present time (1905)

During the entire period of the City Marshals, there was no headquarters other than the rooms where the common council met, which were also the city clerk's office. As previously stated, the Marshals had no assistants in their police work, and everything was run on a cheap scale. When the police came matters were changed a little. The chief of police had two policemen with headquarters. The first police office was on Division Street, without cells and other means of caring for prisoners. These had to go to the county jail, and about this there was trouble, as the county wanted pay from the city for care of their local wrong doers. Mayors Patchen and Foster, in the early seventies, were able to measure the situation, and the first of the police stations came, on the ground where the present station stands. Under the guidance of James Swineford, as chief of police, we began to have a force worthy (of) the name of police.

In early days, a small wooden building, hardly large enough for a smoke house, located on Portland street, served as a city lock-up. It had no cells, or its single apartment might have been called one cell, and was made secure by weak wooden shutters. It was used only for the incarceration of unfortunates, who had become so drunk they could not break out of a paper house.

In 1866, a more substantial structure of brick, with cells and apparatus for warmth, was erected near the corner of Macy, on First street. In 1878, this having become too small to accommodate the constantly increasing number of tramps, or wandering vagrants, and too dilapidated to secure criminals, the present brick and stone structure was built at a cost of $2,300 on the same site. It is two stories high with six single and four double cells, and a commodious office for the chief of police and police headquarters.

In 1904, this structure was further improved by an addition to the south side, containing a private office for the chief of police and an examination room, and the station otherwise improved by various changes. This building is used merely as a detention prison and not for persons under sentence. It is probably not necessary to say that these rooms are not provided with downy couches or Morris chairs and a person so unfortunate as to get in there might possibly prefer the Erving or Palmer House.

In the old times when a political pull put a man on the force, no matter what his age or how infirm, the force could not be efficient. Some of the policemen of twenty years ago, would make sorry work of it now. Men who have passed to 55 or 60 years of age, are now cut out of the police service in most cities and under civil service rules look for young, strong, healthy men. Police service is very different from what it was seventeen years ago. In the detective service specialties are worked. There are safe blowing detectives, bank robber detectives, train robbing, burglary, pickpocket and others, and they give attention only to their specialties.

Previous to 1885, the common council each spring elected the chief and policemen, but this process forced old and unfit men upon the force. A man who had a political pull strong enough, managed to get there, fit or unfit. In 1885, the law was changed by the creation of a Board of Police and Fire Commissioners to manage these departments. The force may now be changed at any time - it is under civil service rules, and while there is sometimes some friction, things go on.