Moments in SMPD History

Moments in SMPD History

922 MAIN STREET, STONE MOUNTAIN, GEORGIA 30083 (770) 879-4980

	That was then..... Stone Mountain Depot, 1857 (photo courtesy of DeKalb Historical Society)
This is now..... Stone Mountain City Hall and Police Department, present

	1915 Officer Carroll and Chief of Police Mahoney attend a ceremony on Main Street celebrating the first streetcar in Stone Mountain. (This photograph was published in the DeKalb New Era on December 21, 1939, an issue marking the City's centennial)
Officer Carroll and Chief Mahoney

1939 Pictured to the right is the Stone Mountain Police force in 1939; from left to right, Chief W.M. Langford, Officers C.J. Tucker and Walter Asher. (This photograph was published in the DeKalb New Era on December 21, 1939, an issue marking the City's centennial)
	Langford, Tucker, and Asher

1942

Pictured to the left is the Officer C.J. "Charlie" Tucker and Noir A. Noir.

1956
These pictures were taken in October, 1956. The building shown is the old City Hall located at Main Street at East Mountain Street.

(photos courtesy of Louise Payne and Jan Payne Leakey)

Chief Charles Thompson

Jake Payne and Charles Thompson

Jake Payne

	The "Old Jail" These photos are of the City's old jail. This building was in use until a new facility was finished in 1965.

(L to R) Chief Charles Thompson, Officer T.L. Collins, Officer J.D. Payne (photo by Marion Crowe)

1965

Atlanta Journal Wednesday, July 21, 1965

City Needed Jail; Policemen Built It

By David Nordan, photos by Marion Crowe
(used with permission)

The policemen in Stone Mountain needed a new jail – so they built one.

Out of old pieces of scrap iron, rusty cell parts picked up all over DeKalb County, a piece here, a piece there, they cut, scraped, cleaned, welded and painted for 14 months, whenever they could find time. They worked on their days off, with no pay. No one asked them to do it. They volunteered.

And Saturday they invited the public to inspect a set of jail facilities that would rival those of many far larger – and far richer – cities. Mayor Randolph Medlock said the new jail would have cost about $20,000 if the materials had been bought and the labor paid.
The total cost to Stone Mountain was a little more that $2000. Most of this went for materials and plumbing and other work the policemen were not able to do. Chief Charles Thompson inspects the new jail facility. (photo by Marion Crowe)

A LARGE PART of the work was done by Chief Charles Thompson, who for the last five months has spent almost every off day at work on the jail. He spent a large part of his vacation putting the finishing touches on the facility.

Officer Jake Payne, a former paint contractor, was in charge of the painting; and officer Milton Duren donated his truck and his services to hauling the materials which Mayor Medlock sought out at little or no cost.

The other policemen, Milton Spivey and T.L. Collins donated their services also.

SO THE MAYOR and his police department set to work. Today they boast a jail with two large cells holding four prisoners each, a drunk tank, and separate facilities for women prisoners. Each cell has modern toilet facilities and showers are provided.

The new jail is part of an overall face-lifting that Stone Mountain has undergone in recent years. “All of the improvements that have been made were paid for by the merchants,” Mayor Medlock said. “We are on a do-it-yourself program. We’ve not received any financial help from outside.”

The sacrifice and the work the policemen of Stone Mountain put into their new jail would seem to verify this point.

1981

Stone Mountain Police Department photo (appeared in DeKalb FOP's Centurian yearbook)

1988 Stone Mountain's First African-American Chief James B. Rivers began his career at the City in 1956 with the Public Works Department. Over the years, he ascended through the ranks to became Chief of Police in 1988. Chief Rivers remained in command of the police department until his retirement in 1995. He currently serves on the command staff at Stone Mountain Park Police.