Modern Dearborn’s police had its roots in the 1920s when the growth of Ford Motor Company facilities in the led to a rapid expansion of the city. In a roughly ten year period from 1920-1930, Dearborn went from being a small town to a city. To cope with this rapid population growth, the city’s law enforcement capabilities had to rapidly expand as well.

The modern City of Dearborn and its police department were established in January 1929 after the old village of Dearborn created in the 1830s merged with the much newer and larger City of Fordson. Each of those communities first hired police chiefs only in 1920.

Explore pages of this exhibit to see some highlights from our collection related to the Dearborn Police.