Police Department Documents History on Web Page

Gunfighters, saloon-owning law enforcers and Depression-era bank robbers are part of the history of law enforcement in Pinole. Now, there's one place to read all about it.

The Pinole Police Department has added a police history page to the city's Web site. It guides readers from the earliest local constables in cattle-rustling days through the Roaring '20s, to violent gangs in the 1970s and to the present.

Fallen officers killed on duty are commemorated, and there are some light-hearted tales of simpler days when Pinole had one patrol officer who wrote tickets at a furious rate.

The page is largely the work of Pinole Police Cmdr. Matthew Messier, with noteworthy contributions from the Pinole Historical Society, newspaper archives and ordinary people who have donated memorabilia.

The online adventure has more detail than Pinole Patch was able to cover in a about Messier's presentation to the historical society. It also includes links to PowerPoint displays and to details for readers who would like to dig deeper.