The Ashland Police Department: a history

Ashland included law enforcement in its earliest political organization and has expanded it ever since. First with a marshal and night watch and later with a chief and officers, the City has addressed citizens' demands for protection from each other and from those they perceived as dangerous outsiders. Located on a main travel route trail, railroad and highway Ashland has experienced the increased vulnerability to crime that such exposure brings. Ashland law enforcement officers have faced ever-repeating cycles of crime; assault, disorderly conduct, vehicle infractions, drunkenness, burglary, larceny, domestic violence, rape, armed robbery and murder.