.png)
THE HISTORY
History of Foley PD
Since 1943, the Foley Police Department has worked diligently to keep this town safe. From just one officer appointed to patrol the entire city limits in 1942, to now having a staff of 75 paid and certified officers guarding the safety of our citizens, the Foley Police Department is constantly growing and evolving to provide the best care for the community.
1943
Foley Names First Chief of Police
Known as a young man with the reputation of being fair-minded, gentle yet strong principled, Benjamin Dewitt Cobb, also known as B.D., was hand selected by the Mayor of Foley to be the Chief of Police. Cobb patrolled mostly on foot. Along with being the first Police Chief of Foley, Cobb is also well-known for his innovation in communication.
1946
The New Mode of Communication
During this time, when someone was in need of assistance, most traveled to the nearest phone and called the operator. The operator would then call a business in town, who would send a "runner" to locate Chief Cobb. He submitted the idea to add a light to the building where the Book Exchange of Foley now stands. Rather than travel through multiple lines of communication, what became known as "Cobb's Light", would be controlled by the operator, turning it on when someone called in needing the police department. The operators would be the first first dispatchers for the Foley Police Department. In the 1990's Cobb's Light was removed for a roofing project. The light was misplaced and was unable to be found. The light you see above the bookstore now is a replica created in 2008 to honor the historic Foley feature.
Hamilton Photos
1952
Building the Department
In June of 1952, the Foley Police finally had a place to call home. Located on Alston Street, the new building held both the police and fire department. It cost the city $12,000 to complete and included a water tower that was used by the fire trucks. Most of the space was occupied by the fire department, however, 180 square feet of the building was dedicated to the police department and was referred to as the "Police Headquarters."
The Onlooker
1953
Busted Bootlegging!
On October 10th, it was documented that Chief Cobb caught quite a few bootleggers in the city. He was captured dumping all the liquor out onto the streets with Justice of the Peace M.R. Howell.
The Onlooker
Moving to Mobile Radios
Chief Cobb didn't stop with "Cobb's Light." As the city continued to grow, so did his ideas in efficient communication. In 1953, the chief tested the first mobile radios for the Foley Police Department with Zona (Pugh) Cross who was a switchboard operator. The short wave radio station wasn't installed in a Foley Police car until 1961. Only one car received it at the time.
Foley at 100
1957
A New Place to Call Home
In July of 1957, a new facility for the Foley Police Department finished construction. It included both a police station and a jail. The downstairs consisted of an officer for police officers, a "bull pen" (a large cell where prisoners are temporarily held), and six cells separated by a utility corridor. The upstairs was used for a courtroom and meeting hall.
The Onlooker
The Onlooker
1960
Fingerprint Official
Police Officer Wilbur Willis, who later became chief of police, became the first of our officers to complete a course in fingerprinting. This qualified the Foley Police Department in identifying fingerprints and boosted the department's identification system which was just being installed during this time. Every morning Ofc. Willis would obtain new inmates fingerprints and fill out an ID card with their name, address, etc. for filing. They would also send a copy of that information to the FBI who would check its records for any additional information. Within four weeks of having this system, the FBI had found several inmates with former records and one inmate to be "wanted" in another state!
1961
Radio Communication Enters the City
Another form of communication has entered the picture for Foley Police in 1961. Donated by the State Highway Patrol, the city installed a small wave radio station at the Foley Police Department. It was believed that by adding this mode of communication, to would be utilized by numerous law enforcement agencies to better communicate between municipalities, the county, and even highway patrol. City leaders also elected to add a radio station to one Foley cop car -- becoming the first police vehicle in Foley to have a radio for communication.
1963
Advancing Communication
The Citizens' Band (CB) Radio Club donated equipment to Foley PD to create a more efficient emergency communication system. Installed in October of 1963, the antenna was located on the Foley Water Tower behind what was the Foley Police/Fire Department. The advancement was much needed at the time. It had been a topic of discussion for a while, but the demand was highlighted after a boat went missing. It served as a communication system for south Baldwin County and allowed "upwards of 200 mobile communications units to be put into the field in case of an emergency or need for a wide communications network," according to an article written in The Onlooker.
The Onlooker
1971
A New Chief is in Town
In 1971, Cobb stepped down to be the first Captain of Foley PD. The next to be named Chief was none other than the man that brought fingerprinting to Foley PD, Wilbur Willis. Chief Willis, better known as "Weeb", was a native of Elberta and actually served as their Chief of Police before being named Foley's. He was known for helping the department expand. One of his largest contributions was expanding the police department. For example, Chief Willis began the Junior Police program, which we now call the Police Explorers, and improved the investigations division. His main investigator at the time was Jim Anderson, who later became our third police chief.
Steps Towards Equality
Under a new chief, the city of Foley made a massive leap in diversifying it's police department. James Miller became the first Black police officer in Foley. In an article written about Miller, he was quoted stating he got the job as an officer "on a dare," but little did he know the impact that dare would have on Foley Police today.
1973
Night Shift Bust
Officer James Miller was patrolling during his night shift and pulls over a suspicious truck traveling north on HWY-59 after Gulf Shores police called in a string of burglaries along the coast. The driver said that he was allegedly paid $500 to drive the 18-wheeler to Tampa. After taking the hinges off the locked cargo box, officers discovered 7.5 tons of marijuana in bales. This singular bust led to the discovery of the Intracoastal Waterway five miles south of the city being used to dump bales for pickup and shipment all over. To this day, this is the largest drug bust in Baldwin County.
Mobile Register
1974
Introducing A Continuing Education Program
Chief Willis introduced what he called a "job training program" in which acted as continuing education for veteran officers. He created the program as a way to increase his officers knowledge on law enforcement techniques and received certification through Faulkner in order to teach the trainings himself. The program not only provided more information to the officers, but it also had an incentive for a pay raise. The two-year long program offered $200/month as a salary supplement to trainees. It also was not conducted in a classroom setting, rather, the information was instructed on the spot when needed.
Mobile Register
1982
The Voo Doo Case
In February on 1982, assistant police chief Bogy Hall came across a murder victim, Will Ware. Through scent dogs, he was able to locate the killer, Jewell Williams, who was also a suspect in numerous burglary cases around the Foley area. Before he could obtain probable cause to arrest Williams, the killer fled to Tampa. He was quickly found and extradited back to Foley. He had two mistrials, but in April of 1996, his third trial date was set. While in custody, Williams' family hired a Voo Doo Doc to put a hex on the case with the hopes of preventing a murder conviction. Bogy himself went to New Orleans to reverse the hex -- doing everything he could to get the conviction he believed Williams deserved. On his way back from New Orleans and leading up to the trial, Bogy and his team experienced strange occurrences (unexplained illnesses, severe storms, etc.). Through all the madness, Jewell Williams was found guilty for the murder of Will Ware and was sentenced to life without parole. According to Asst. Chief Bogy, shortly after the trial ended, he went out to celebrate. While inside the event, his cop car got struck by lightning and shorted out the wiring, causing the lights on top of his patrol car to start flashing. The emergency-light bar wouldn't turn off until he disconnected the battery.
Foley at 100
Mobile Register
1987
Willis Adds An Investigator to the Staff
Another way Chief Willis helped with expansion is through adding specifications throughout the department. In 1987, Willis hired Jim Anderson as a criminal investigator for Foley PD. He handled most of the criminal cases for Foley Police during that time and after two years as an investigator, he was named chief investigator.
1989
Changes at the Top
Shortly after being named Chief Investigator, Jim Anderson was promoted and sworn in as the Chief of Police for Foley PD. Prior to being named Chief of Police, Anderson had over two decades of law enforcement experience -- serving 10 and a half years as a state trooper, 12 years with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office, and two years as an investigator for Foley PD.
Adding Online Programming
Just as quickly as he took over, Anderson was ready to make some changes. After three months of being Chief, Anderson was implementing a new program that few agencies offered across the country. Foley Police Department became the first agency in Baldwin County to offer in-house, online training. The online training was the latest way for officers to continue their education. At the time, the state had recently adopted the Minimum Standards Training Act in which required officers to have at least 20 hours of training/continued education per year in order to maintain their certifications. This program allowed the officers to hit the required hours without having to leave for training and leave the department under-staffed. Anderson established a tape library for officers to review any of the programs needed and assigned officers time to work on those training modules during their shift. During this time, it cost the department about $75K to send officers to this type of training, but this program only cost the department $388/month, saving the PD tens of thousands of dollars yearly.
Mobile Register
1992
Canine Comes to Foley
In 1992, Chief Anderson hired the city's first Canine officer to Foley PD. Officer Kenny Pickern and K-9 Ringo joined Foley PD helping to create our K-9 unit. Today we have three sworn K-9 officers on staff.
1994
New Chief Appointed to Foley
In 1994, Foley appointed its first Black Chief of Police in Baldwin County, James Miller. Not only was he the first chief of color, but with every promotion in rank, he set a milestone for Black Americans in the city. Prior to officially being sworn in, he was the acting officer in charge for a 4-month period after Chief Anderson retirement. The mayor at the time, Arthur Holk, said during those four months, Chief Miller "proved his ability to lead." He took over with 21 members on the force. When hired, Chief Miller was quoted by the Baldwin County Press Register saying, "I don't think this type of work is black or white. I think it's a matter of being able to do the job."
1997
Convenience Store Murders
December of 1997 proved to be a tough month for the city of Foley. On December 4, a man found Nancy Dukes behind the counter of Dukes Parkway Shell gas station with multiple stab wounds. It was later found that she was stabbed approximately 40 times. She died before the paramedics arrived. Then, on December 14, a similar scene was found at the Diamond Gas Station and Convenience Store. Linda Morton, another store clerk, was found deceased behind the counter. The city of Foley was just one murder shy of having a serial killer on their hands. Foley police quickly discovered they were dealing with robbery cases. Through witnesses and a money trail, Foley PD found their main suspect, Calvin Stallworth. By December 16, Foley PD brought Stallworth in on probation violations. He was later found guilty for both murders and was sentenced to death.
2000
Building the Department
In the new millennium, the Foley Police Department decided to make a new headquarters. Chief Miller moved the department from their old location on Alston Street to the building you see today on Section Avenue.
2005
Appointing a New Chief
After nearly two years of having an interim Chief, the city of Foley appointed Tim Bryan as the new Chief of Police in 2005. Before coming to Foley, Bryan was the chief for five years in Valley, Alabama, a city near the Georgia border. He was the police chief for a year before moving back to Valley as a city administrator.
2007
Foley Names 6th Chief of Police
In 2007, city officials appointed David Wilson to be the sixth police chief of Foley. He came over from Daphne PD after 16 years of service by the bay. Known for being community-oriented and building the structure of the department, Chief Wilson played a crucial part in making Foley PD what it is today. Under Chief Wilson, violent crime was greatly reduced and Foley became a safer, more secure city. This change contributed to progressive growth and Foley becoming a leading city that is now experiencing an economic boom.
2008
The Reboot of An Old Training Program
Chief Wilson and his leadership team decided it was time to bring back a field training officer program. This program was meant to prepare new officers for working solo. The re-booted program was reorganized to fit the times. We use this program today and it is more formally known as the the San Jose Model of Field Training.
Chief Wilson Adds New Unit
As he continued to grow and re-structure the police department, Chief Wilson opted to add a Professional Development Unit (PDU) directly reporting to the deputy chief. This unit was created to enhance the professionalism with which all sections of our department operate. To this day, we still have the Professional Development Unit. The unit is used to inform/prepare new hires, train all divisions, and purchase all equipment and uniforms for all of the department.
2009
Learning How to Tackle Drug Use in the City
Those in leadership positions in 2009 faced a challenge of controlling the drug issues the city of Foley were facing. In order to get a handle on the issue, Chief Wilson implemented a strict Drug Enforcement strategy. The goal was to be aggressive in locating drug dealers and getting them out of Foley. Chief Wilson used a three-step attack involving street level enforcement 24/7, developing a local narcotics unit, and involving the federal drug task force.
Establishing the S.W.A.T. Unit
Up until 2009, whenever the Foley Police Department needed the assistance of S.W.A.T., the department would request it from the county. Chief Wilson and his command staff felt the department had the funds and personnel to build our own S.W.A.T. unit and began to assemble a team. The S.W.A.T. team is comprised of experienced officers who are specially trained through a certified S.W.A.T. operator course. Now, we have divisions within our S.W.A.T. Unit including leadership, snipers, and negotiators.
2011
Foley Adopts Hot Spots Policing
In 2011, Foley PD wanted to add another strategy to how they policed the city. Chief Wilson and his leadership team enforced Hot Spots policing as part of their way to tackle crime in the area. This method identifies small areas within the city where crime is concentrated and puts emphasis on heavily patrolling those particular areas. Command staff would meet once a month with the patrol staff supervisors and together they would careful study the crime and develop strategies to reduce it.
Giving Officers an Avenue to Deal With Mental Stress
Chief Wilson and his team decided to implement a program that created a safe space for officers to decompress. Known as Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD), the program allowed officers or other employees who experience very stressful crime scenes or very sad crime scenes/events to receive consultation. The program is now referred to as Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). The consultation is provided internally by members of the CISM team.
2014
Changing the Format
The police department had already been re-structured under Chief Wilson in 2007; however, he decided to change up the organization once again in 2014. The new structure consisted of 64 police officers and 30 public servant civilian employees.
2020
Foley Native Named Chief
Thurston Bullock was appointed Foley's seventh Police Chief in 2020. He grew up in this city and always dreamed of leading those who protect his hometown. His desire is to keep Foley a great place to live and work, while maintaining the safety and quality of life.
Chief Bullock has worked to continue the growth of the Foley Police Department. Since being Chief of Police, the number of Foley PD employees has increased to over 140 people, including adding Support Service Technicians, a social media position, and a Crime Scene Technician. He also implemented advanced leadership training programs to propel our officers forward.
