Salem Police Department

Though Salem had patrolmen in the early days, city marshals and deputy sheriffs were used in the city prior to the city's incorporation in 1836. A map of the city shows the police station at 11 Front Street and a janitor of the police station was listed in 1865. The police remained on Front Street until they moved around the corner to their new headquarters on Central Street in 1914. In 1975, the department had reached the size of 91 sworn personnel. In February of 1992, the Salem Police Department moved into its new 31,000 sq. foot modern facility on Margin Street. The 6 million dollar facility is equipped with a state of the art Crime & Photo Lab, it has a 62 seat auditorium with audio/video tape capabilities and a five-lane, computer controlled firing range. The facility was named for former police chief Robert St. Pierre who retired in 2010 after 36 years of service, 25 years of those as chief.