The city of Boise was originally founded during the civil war. On July 4th 1863, while the Battle of Gettysburg raged, the original town was plotted out near the Fort Boise location. In 1864 the discovery of gold and the influx of emigrants along the Oregon Trail made Boise a supply stop central to the region.
The first law enforcement in the city of Boise consisted of Marshals who worked alone in what must be described as a wild frontier western town. The city marshals who worked for 10 dollars a month contended with everything from armed stagecoach robbery to murder and petty crimes.
In 1903 mayor James Hawley decreed that there would be a chief of police, a police sergeant and seven policemen or patrolmen. The chief's job was to see that the laws and ordinances of the city are kept, obeyed, and executed.
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During the frontier years Boise enjoyed a thriving and productive Chinatown located in what is now downtown Boise. Many of the residents of that neighborhood came to Idaho to work in the mines or other support industries.
In 1930, the Boise police had a squad of motorcycle officers who chased down speeders on the streets of Boise and the department had one female officer in its ranks, Policewoman Ethel Alloway.
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In 1933, when a new city hall was completed the Boise police department consisted of 17 officers for a population of 25 thousand people.
In 1936, the Boise police department received a single radio transmitter located in dispatch, with receivers placed in some patrol vehicles. But two way radios would not be available for officers in Boise until 1939.
Today, the Boise police department employs 375 Idahoans; 300 of which are sworn officers, and 75 who are civilian employees. The main department is located at 333 North Mark Stall Place in Boise with 7 substations located around the city. Included in divisions of the department are many specialized units including among others, community outreach, victim witness support, and school resource officers working together to make the neighborhoods of our city safe.
The Chief's
1893 Joseph P. Chinn
1894 Julius F. Shellworth
1895-97 Rube Robbins
1897-98 J.E. McAtee
1898-1903 Ben Francis
1903-05 William B. Horn
1905-07 Edwin O. Phillips
1907-08 Ben Francis
1909-11 Thomas B. Martin
1911-12 Andy Robinson
1912-14 Weber N. Reves
1915 Andy Robinson
1916 M. S. Parker
1917 Henry F. Swanholm (Interim Chief)
1918-19 Julius F. Shellworth
1921 Charles W. Irwin
1923 Henry R. Griffith
1924 Ernest Stoops
1925 J. W. Briggs
1927-33 Andy Robinson
1934-35 Thomas N. Cribbins
1935-37 Emer J. Harris
1939-40 Austin Utley
1941-51 R. G. Haskin
1951-55 James E. Brandon
1956 Gus J. Urresti (Interim Chief)
1960-68 Jack Barney
1968 Gus Urresti (Interim Chief)
1968-83 John Church
1983-88 James Montgomery
1988-89 Michael H. Prynch (Interim Chief)
1989-93 James J. Carvino
1993-2000 Larry A. Paulson
2000-2004 Donald G. Pierce
2004-2004 James A. Tibbs (Interim Chief)
2005- Michael F. Masterson