From a one-constable town to a force of more than 170 officers, policing in Delta has come a long way over the last 125 years.
The municipality was incorporated in 1879, however there was no official police presence until eight years later. In 1887, the town council appointed an official constable, William McKee, who was also the town clerk, assessor and tax collector at the time.
That didn't last long and in the summer of 1888, the town appointed its first chief constable, Joseph Jordan. Jordan held the position on and off for the next eight years.
Delta was so small at that point that police were only needed during the summer when the town experienced an influx of temporary workers at the fish canning plants.
At that time, the police officer was housed in the same building as municipal hall, which was located on the corner of Elliott and Chisholm streets, and the local jail was in space between the hall and a storage shed.
By 1900, the needs of the town were changing and Jordan was brought on as a full-time chief constable. He remained in that position until his retirement in 1911.
Crime and punishment in those early days looked a lot different than it does today. There was relatively little crime at the time and police would deal with rule breakers on a case-by-case basis.
For example, in 1881, Ladner's All Saints Anglican Church construction was on hold because no one knew how to shingle the building. One day, a man was brought before the magistrate, William Ladner, and pleaded guilty to a minor offence. Ladner sentenced him to proceed immediately to the church to complete the shingling of the roof.
Delta had many chief constables in those early years and as the population began to grow and times changed, so did the department. It remained a one-cop town until 1931 when council authorized the hiring of a night policeman, who was responsible for patrolling Ladner. The municipality wouldn't add a third officer until 1947.
In 1956, council approved a budget of $34,000 for the department, which allowed for the hiring of four more officers and the expansion of coverage to Annacis Island.
A year later, with an increasing population and a need for increased police services, the Delta Police Department began operating on a 24-hour basis. An officer was on duty at all times to handle calls in person or over the phone. Around that time, the department also started a school liaison program that saw officers spend time in local schools.
As with many things in the region, the Delta Police Department saw rapid changes after the opening of the George Massey Tunnel in 1959.
In 1967, 10 more officers were added to the roster bringing the total to 29. Just three years later, the police chief asked for 15 more officers.
By 1972, the department had moved into its fourth headquarters, in its current location on Clarence Taylor Crescent, and the burgeoning department continued to grow, reaching 93 officers by 1979. That number jumped to 121 by 1981 and has steadily increased to 170 as of 2011.
