Auburn Police Department, WA

Auburn Police Department, WA

Known as Auburn since 1893, 20 marshals served the city until 1925, when R. Roy Wendle became Auburn's first Police Chief. The Auburn Police Department came into its own in the late 1920s under the direction of Chief Charles L. Ludwig. When he first came into office, the only file for the department was a wire spindle with a scrap of paper about an accident at West Main and "A" Street. Chief Ludwig then established the first permanent records system for the department, including a workable fingerprint and photography system. All the funding for training and the equipment needed for this came from his own pocket. By the time he retired, Ludwig headed an eight-person police department housed in a new building next to a new jail.

Today with over 110 full time employees, the Auburn Police Department serves a population in excess of 44,000 citizens. Operating with a $12 million budget, the department oversees a 54-bed detention facility and maintains more than 40 vehicles. In 1997, 2000 and 2003 the department underwent a stringent on-site accreditation test by the Commission on Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and received a national rating of excellence.

The Auburn Police Department utilizes the Spillman Records Management System.

To learn more about the Auburn Police Department, please click here.