Village of Springdale

The Village of Springdale was incorporated December 1959 with Gustave Neuss elected Mayor. A police committee was established with councilmen Virgil Fath, Bruce Smith and Charles Lindner making recommendations for the soon to be established Police Department.

With Hamilton County answering calls during the daytime it was necessary for two part time officers to cover the night shift. Max Sanks and Frank Smith were appointed as part time patrolman.

As calls increased it became difficult for the county to give assistance as requested so in the spring of 1960 Robert Robinson and Douglas Renaker were appointed full time patrolman, with Sanks and Smith continuing to work night shifts and off days. Mayor Neuss was in charge of the day-to-day operation of the police department.

September of 1960 a test was given for police chief and twenty-five applicants completed the testing procedures. October 15, 1960, Donald W. Stemann who had been a St. Bernard police officer took over as the new Police Chief of Springdale.

The department had one 1960 Mercury cruiser and the office was in this vehicle. Prisoner bookings and telephone calls had to be taken care of in the squad room of the Fire House located at 11524 Springfield Pike. A continual increase of prisoner booking and general duties made the presence of the police in the squad room a problem for the fire department activities. It was decided in 1964 a new office in the rear of the firehouse and to include the second floor to accommodate the weekly court sessions and council matters.

Up to this time, court and council meetings were held in the Springdale Elementary School on Kemper Road. The clientele brought into court each week were not very considerate of school property and the school's principal, Mr. Keith Perkins was reluctant to have the city operations remain at the school.

The daily operations of the police department grew faster than the city could afford to hire new officers. This was also the case in Glendale, Woodlawn, Evendale, Sharonville and Forest Park. Each department having only one officer per shift made assistance calls on a regular routine. It was common in the daytime to have one officer on duty for three cities as others on duty were called to court or transport the injured or sick to hospitals from Cincinnati to Hamilton.

In 1968 the department had grown sufficiently to have the need for quarters in a new building, at 335 Northland Blvd. The building was shared with the maintenance department. This was a great improvement with holding cells and a police clerk on duty during the daylight hours. Three police cruisers we on around the clock duty.

Springdale saw the change from a Village to City status in 1971. The charter having been adopted on November 3, 1964, and a Civil Service Bureau adopted April 20, 1966 helped make the transition smooth.

The year 1974 saw the department increase by five additional patrolmen and three police clerks. This increased manpower made the move into the new municipal building a necessity. On October 28, 1974, the police department moved to the new facility at 12105 Lawnview Avenue providing around the clock clerical and dispatching services to supplement the county radio system. Also added were the jail cells, a booking and fingerprinting area, a dark room and a long needed locker room.