Earliest records indicate Edward J. Watson was chosen by the people to serve as the first City Marshal in 1872. Some of the duties of the early city marshals, included apprehending horse thieves and hauling hobos in and off the trains and rounding up the town drunks. Some of these offenders ended up in the calaboose (the first Jefferson County Jail is located in the Jefferson County Historical Village at 1411 N 27th Street, Mt. Vernon, Illinois.)

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YEAR CHIEF/MARSHAL

1876 City Marshal Edward J. Watson

1904 City Marshal William C. Grove

1915 Chief of Police Johnson

1921 Chief of Police William Reese

1927-1928 Chief of Police Bill Brove

Unknown Chief of Police Hal Smith

Unknown Chief of Police Wilson Lively

1942-1959 Chief of Police Verner Pigg

1959-1961 Chief of Police John Wielt

1961-1980 Chief of Police Fred Dedman

1980-1998 Chief of Police Ron Massey

1998-2014 Chief of Police Chris Mendenall

2014-2018 Chief of Police Chris Deichman

2018-2024 Chief of Police Trent Page

2024-Present Chief of Police Robert Brands

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During the 1950's, the "Door Shakers" were organized. This group of merchant police were security guards hired by store owners to check and secure their businesses at night. Of course, they were always on the look out for break-ins and thieves. The exact dates of their disbursement isn't known. During this time parking meters were also installed downtown and are still in use today. A motorcycle patrol was added to the department in the 50's and in 2005, but is no longer in use today.

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In 2023 the Mt. Vernon Police Department was moved to it's new location at 600 S 27th St in a brand new state of the art facility designed specifically for the department's needs. It had been at the 211 N 10th location from 1979 to 2023. This location was previously a car dealership and was built in the 1940's. Previous to the 211 N 10th St location, it was located at City Hall at 1100 Main St.