Irving Police Department - the First 50 Years

Irving was founded in 1903 and residents elected their first mayor and council in 1914. In 1920, seventeen years after its founding, Irving remained a small farm town with a population of about 350. The population grew very slowly up until the 1950s. The small, quiet town had little reason for a police force. Matters of the law were handled by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department.

During the 1920s-1930s, local merchants raised money to pay a watchman to patrol the streets during the night.

In 1941, thirty-eight years after its founding, mayor C. P. Caldwell hired Irving’s first police officer, George Smith. Smith patrolled the town on foot.

Officer Smith retired in 1947 and Joe Reynolds took over as Irving’s police force. Reynolds served for six years. During his time, Irving began to expand and the city purchased its first patrol car. In 1952 the Irving Police Department got its first patrol car with a two-way radio.

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In 1942 the Irving Police Auxiliary was formed. It was renamed the Irving Police Reserves in 1949. The organization was staffed by volunteers who were asked to help the police when additional hands were needed. In 1949, at a time when the city was beginning to grow, Irving employed one full-time officer. Reserve members were trained volunteers that assisted the Irving Police Department when requested. Tasks ranged from traffic control to helping with parades and assisting at large fires or accidents and in severe weather situations. They were also asked to transfer prisoners and to serve warrants.

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Joe Reynolds doubled the size of Irving's police force when he hired Pinky DeLay as Irving's second officer. Reynolds worked the day shift and DeLay worked nights.

In an inverview with the Irving Archives an Irving police officer remembered the early days of the force:

The one thing I do remember about that time, though, is how ill prepared that police officers were to do the job, you know, when they were thrown into the field. Because there was no basic academy; there was no training. The city would give you a badge, and we were very fortunate because the city provided uniforms, a lot of the cities didn't. And they would tell you where to buy a pistol. And you'd go buy your own pistol and handcuffs. You just used your best judgment. And that's, you know, when you think about it, that's a tough one. I mean, I wasn't ready for it, and I know damn well, the community wasn't ready for me.

But I have stopped people for doing something that I considered to be unsafe, but I didn't know that it, for sure, that it was against the law. I just knew it was unsafe, and it didn't seem to me like you ought to be able to do something like that, you know? If there wasn't a law against it [there ought to be]. So I'd give them a warning. And then I would go back to the station and look the traffic code up, and, sure enough, it would be a violation of the law. So I'd copy down the code number for a violation. And then, from that point on, I was in a position to write a ticket if it was serious enough.

W. J. Cooper became chief when Joe Reynolds left in 1953. During Cooper's three-year tenure as chief, the department worked to keep pace with the city’s growth. Between 1953 and 1957 the department acquired two motorcycles, added three patrol cars and hired 21 additional officers. 

During the 1950s the small force worked six days a week and were not paid overtime. In 1961, in a move to further professionalize, the IPD went to a five-day work week and overtime pay became available.

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The city continued its massive growth into the 1960s and by 1963 the police department had outgrown its space in the original city hall building. In 1964, construction began on a new Police and Court Building at 845 W. Irving Blvd.

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In 1966, the city was divided into six beats and officers were assigned to work a specific beat. 

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Leonard McCarley was the first Irving officer to work his way through the ranks to become Chief of Police. He began his career in Irving as a member of the Irving Police Reserve in 1953. In 1955, he was hired by the police department as a patrolman. By 1956 he was a sergeant and made lieutenant in 1960.  Two years later he was promoted to the grade of captain. After eight years as a captain he was named Assistant Chief and in 1970 earned the promotion to Chief of the Irving Police Department. Chief McCarley retired in the late 1970s.

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In 1970, Gloria Darnell (Willingham) was the first woman officer hired in a law enforcement capacity by the Irving Police Department. She began her career in social services focusing on child welfare. When she heard that the Irving Police Department was hiring for a position working with juveniles, she applied and was hired in October 1970. She was the only woman in her police academy training class and graduated first out of 36 trainees. She worked in criminal investigations dealing with parents and children. Within two years she was promoted to the rank of sergeant in the patrol division. In 1976 the department created the Community Services Division and Darnell transferred there to head up junvenile crime prevention and serve as the school liaison. She worked for the Irving Police Department for eight years and then began a new 20-year career as a school librarian.

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The police department continued to grow during the 1970s and technology began to play an ever increasing role in the department's operation. The department joined the National Crime Information Computer which provided access to criminal records from around the country. A color photo lab and microfilm center were installed. In 1974 the Explorer program, which introduced young men and women to police work, began. The first cells for female prisoners were added to the jail in 1977.

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The department outgrew the 1964 building in the 1980s. At the time the city hall building still had empty space and the police department spread onto the third and fourth floors of that building. In 1982 the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) was created to help reduce auto accidents at hazardous sites around town. In 1988 the Police and Fire Training Academy on Esters Road opened. Among other features, the new facility had a gymnasium, a pistol range, and classrooms. In 1989 the police department changed its uniform from the tan pants and dark brown shirt to a dark blue shirt and pants.

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The 1990s saw the opening of a new Criminal Justice Center, the formation of a Citizens Volunteer Program and the recreation of the K-9 unit. The Irving Police Athletic League was formed to provide young people a constructive way to spend their free time.

The Irving Police Department moved into the new millennia ready to adjust and reinvent to meet the changing needs of the residents of Irving.

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