From 1840 to 1865 area law enforcement was a service provided by the Howard County Sheriff. In 1865 Kokomo held it's first election with John Williams being elected Kokomo's first Town Marshal. In April 1901 the law enforcement arm of Kokomo's government formally changed to a "Metropolitan Police Department." This police department consisted of six men who's equipment consisted of only side arms and uniforms. Around 1915 the Department purchased a Haynes Chassis with a rear compartment for the first police patrol wagon and then purchased a Harley Davidson motorcycle to complement a fleet of four bicycles. Throughout it's history the Department has evolved through many changes from using horses or traditional walking beats, to using bicycles and the trolley cars followed by the use of automobiles to even a re-implementation of the bicycle and foot patrol in service to a contemporary policing strategy and philosophy known as "Community Policing." Kokomo's present day Police Force has a staff of 103 sworn Officers, both men and women as well as a complimentary staff of dedicated civilian support staff. The Department has adopted as it's official motto, the expression, "PRIDE IN COMMITMENT - EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE". Over the years the Department has gone through many changes. In 1901 it was governed by a three person police commission and the Mayor, in 1951 the formal overseeing governing system for the Department was changed to that of the Board of Public Works and the Mayor. Modern and more complex service needs have resulted in greater specialization within the Department in areas such as Uniform Patrol, Criminal and Special Investigations, Communications, Training, Accident Investigations, Juvenile Issues, Professional Standards, Victim's Services, Planning and Research, Crime Prevention, and Inspections. There have been many milestones in the history of the Department as evidenced in the motorization of the Department after World War I, to the installation of modern radio communications, the specialization of Department functions, and the continuing quest for professionalizaton exemplified in current times by the Department's voluntary participation in a professional accreditation process for law enforcement agencies. The Kokomo Police Department is currently staffed by one-hundred and  five sworn and forty three non-sworn employees.

 

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