Charles Elton (police)
{{Short description|Los Angeles Chief of Police, 1900–1904}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2024|cs1-dates=ly}}{{use American English|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox police officer
|name = Charles Elton
|image = Charles Elton in Los Angeles City Auditor's Report 1901–1902.jpg
|caption =
|birth_date = February 1855
|death_date = {{death date|1916|09|05}}
|birth_place = New York
|death_place =
|badgenumber =
|nickname =
|department = Los Angeles Police Department
|service =
|serviceyears =
|rank = {{nowrap|24px Chief of Police (1900–1904)}}
|awards =
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Charles E. Elton (1855–1916) was chief of police of the Los Angeles Police Department for four years, four months, and five days, which was a comparatively long stint in the first 50 years of the department.{{Cite news |date=1931-08-09 |title=Los Angeles Chiefs of Police - Names - Time Served |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-los-angeles-chiefs/148148217/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |work=The Los Angeles Times |pages=126}}
Biography
Elton was born in New York in February 1855.{{cite web |work=United States Census, 1900 |publisher=FamilySearch |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9PF-HJ6 |title=Entry for Charles Elton and Annie D Elton, 1900}} Prior to his appointment he had been a civilian with work experience as a railroad man and a real estate agent.{{sfnp|Sjoquist|1984|page=48}} One of his major innovations was a Flying Squad of bicycle-mounted officers, which greatly helped the undermanned department cover the already vast distances encompassed by the city of Los Angeles.{{sfnp|Sjoquist|1984|page=48}} A 1904 handbook to Southern California reported, "The salaries of Police Department are as follows, except the Chief, who is a city official: Captains, $150 per month; lieutenants, $125 per month; detectives, $125 per month; sergeants, $115 per month." Patrolmen made $75 to $100 a month depending on experience.{{Cite web |title=Travelers' handbook to southern California, by George Wharton James... |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.31210001996766?urlappend=%3Bseq=165 |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=HathiTrust |page=161 | hdl=2027/uc1.31210001996766?urlappend=%3Bseq=165 |language=en}}
When he resigned in 1904, the Los Angeles Evening Express stated that his service had been "handicapped by previous inexperience, unfitted by mental attributes, not his fault, his appointment at the outset was a mistake due entirely to a political coup of his predecessor's enemies".{{Cite news |date=1904-04-05 |title=Elton Takes Good Advice |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/los-angeles-evening-express-elton-takes/148152677/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |work=Los Angeles Evening Express |pages=6}}
Elton was arrested in 1906 for failure to pay spousal support. He was in arrears $600.{{Cite news |date=1906-02-13 |title=Former Chief Behind Bars |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/los-angeles-herald-former-chief-behind-b/148147900/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |work=Los Angeles Herald |pages=1}} In 1910 Elton was working as a bicycle dealer in Portland, Oregon and got into a fight with a 13-year-old boy over money.{{Cite news |date=1910-11-22 |title=Elton in a Portland Court |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-elton-in-a-portlan/148149931/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |work=The Los Angeles Times |pages=4}} Elton was arrested in 1911 at which time the United Press reported that he had been charged with "forgery in connection with a land deal. He was released on $1000 bond. Elton had resided in Portland for the last several years. He conducted an auto tire repair shop and dealt extensively in real estate."{{Cite news |date=1911-05-19 |title=Ex-Chief Elton Under Arrest |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pomona-progress-ex-chief-elton-under/148149696/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |work=The Pomona Progress |pages=1}}
File:"The Scandal of Elton's Police Rule" Los Angeles Record, August 1, 1903 - page 4.jpg editorialized firmly against Elton's leadership of the department]]
The Los Angeles Record summarized his career in 1924: "The regime of Charles Elton, appointee of Meredith P. Snyder, during the latter's first reign as mayor ushered in the century on about the same level that has in the main since been kept and struck the keynote of the tune to which save for occasional variations the city's police department has since kept then. In a word the Elton regime was foggy. There were rumors and denial and charges and countercharges with at bottom a constant realization on the part of the best informed that all was not as it should be. Elton kept the saddle from 1900 to 1904 when he retired under attacks by The Record to make room for W. A. Hammel."
See also
- {{slink|Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department|List of police chiefs}}
References
{{reflist}}
= Sources =
- {{cite book |title=History of the Los Angeles Police Department |first=Arthur W. |last=Sjoquist |year=1984 |url=https://archive.org/details/history-of-the-lapd-art-sjoquist-1984/page/n2/mode/1up |publisher=Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club }}
{{commons category|Charles Elton}}
{{LAPD chief of police}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elton, Charles}}