City of Lee's Summit history

On February 21, 1868, the name at the post office was changed to the Town of Lee’s Summit.

Having outgrown the old city hall that was built in 1869, it was to be torn down, leaving the city without a city hall and a calaboose.

Marshal James Near was elected in April of 1876.

Marshal James Inskeep was elected in April of 1879.

The population of the city had grown to 1,800, doubling from 900 citizens in 1880.

In 1882, the calaboose was located on a “forty foot lot at 3rd and Douglas. “The building was a 28’ by 30’ structure, built of native planks, laid flat over each other to form the outside walls.

The new cage was of regulation style and size and was used in the new building. (The original Gattrell General Store burned in the 1885 fire and it can only be assumed they rebuilt).

Marshal Cooper was the Street Commissioner in 1887.

Marshal Henry Jefferson Davis was elected in 1888

Marshal James Madison “Matt” Short was elected again in April of 1892 at the age of 50.

Marshal William B. Cooper was elected in 1894.

Marshal T. B. Crooks was elected on April 7, 1899.

Following 25 years of imprisonment for his crimes, Cole Younger was paroled in 1901.

Marshal R. W. Reece was elected marshal April 1, 1902 and remained through July 1902.

He stayed in office until April 7, 1903.

On April 2, 1906, Tom Noland was elected to the office of city marshal.

In 1909 a new steel cage was installed with barred windows on the west room in the Gattrell building for law breakers until the new city hall and calaboose could be erected.

W. Brown was elected April 5, 1910.

Nearly 30 years later, in 1912, R.A. Long, a Kansas City lumber company magnate, began to erect an enormous estate.

Longview Farm, which was built in 1913 by lumber baron R.A. Long, was considered the “Most Beautiful Farm in the World.” Its rolling acres housed a horse farm, cattle, hogs, a greenhouse and a dairy operation.

Marshal Thomas Noland was elected April 7, 1914.

Furthermore, the elaborate farmstead also featured a church, Longview Chapel Christian Church, constructed in 1915.

He was then re-elected on April 4, 1916 (serving two-year terms). Cam Jones was constable and the night watchman was Daniel Waller.

Marshal Henry J. Davis was elected on April 4, 1918.

Marshal Bryson Bowlin was elected in 1920.

Marshal Harvey Davis was elected in 1921.

On April 4, 1922 Marshal William Parrish was elected.

In July of 1923, Marshal Parrish was ordered by the mayor and council to kill un-muzzled dogs found in the streets.

Marshal Lester Henry Mitchell was elected on April 5, 1927.

In March 1928, the first gas well was lighting several blocks in Lee’s Summit.

On July 4, 1929, speeding in the business section of town was on the increase and officers warned that there would be a serious accident if it didn’t stop.

July, 1930, was the first jailbreak in Lee’s Summit.

Marshal James R. Brown was first elected on April 5, 1932.

In 1933, Marshal Brown, together with J. A. Myers, the constable of Prairie township seized a 500-gallon still with 40 gallons of whiskey, sixteen 100-pound sacks of sugar and thirty-four 200-gallon barrels of mash.

On May 2, 1934, the council instructed Marshal Brown to proceed at once with the arrest of persons driving cars without city licenses.

June 4, 1935 Roy Tucker was night watchman.

The citizens nicknamed this vehicle “The Green Hornet”, a popular radio and television masked vigilante created in 1936.

On April 6, 1937, Roy Pace was appointed police judge.

On August 2, 1938, the city marshal and night watchman were given instructions, by the council, to enforce rigidly the ordinance pertaining to the closing hour for beer parlors and the weed ordinance.

The Museum is located in historic Downtown Lee’s Summit where the WPA Post Office was housed in 1939.

Marshal Jess N. Moore was elected on April 2, 1940.

On June 13, 1946, two youth appeared before the police judge, Aaron Preston, and paid $11.00 for fines and court costs, in addition to receiving a 20 day suspended jail sentence, for breaking the city ordinance prohibiting the shooting of fireworks.

Aaron C. Preston was elected Police Judge and on April 1, 1947, Ira M. Ezzell was elected police judge.

Marshal Clint Havenhill was elected April 6, 1948, winning by 63 votes over Jess Moore.

Marshal Herschel Davis was elected on April 7, 1953.

In March, 1954, a new sewer facility was opened.

On January 20, 1955, Charles “Red” Gardner was hired as the fourth member of the LSPD.

In November, 1956, the city purchased a second hand 3-wheel motorcycle for Jack Hoskins, parking meter patrolman for Lee’s Summit.

In 1957, Otto L. Viets was the radio operator.

On April 1, 1958, Otto L. Viets was elected as City Marshal.

He was then re-elected April 5, 1960.

Upon Marshal Viets’ retirement/leave of absence, Orville Slover was appointed as Acting Marshal on August 22, 1961.

On April 3, 1962, Homer Davis was elected Marshal.

In April 1963, LSPD Headquarters was located on Main Street in the City Hall building (formerly the post office). In July 1963, Homer Davis resigned, was kept on as a patrolman until August, 1963, and a special election to fill the vacancy was to be held August 6, 1963.

April 7, 1964, Marshal Donald E. Shaw was elected.

"Lee's Summit was named for Doctor Pleasant Lea, the town's physician at that time, who was shot and killed during the Civil War near the present [1965] site of the Missouri Pacific Depot.

In August, 1967, Marshal Steen was to resign from his position as city marshal and the mayor and council appointed Lt.

In August 1968, an eight-part bond and park proposal was placed on the ballot on September 24, 1968, to include $275,000.00 for two new fire stations and fire equipment and $526,000.00 for a “tailor-made” police station, especially designed for police-work.

Long built the farm with his daughter, Loula Long Combs, in mind, and she lived there from the time it was opened until her death in 1971.

The formal removal of suspended Chief O. C. Roberts was announced on May 11, 1976 and the City of Lee’s Summit sent out an advertisement for a police chief, which drew more than 90 applicants.

Leary left the department in 1980 to become the Senior Law Enforcement Advisor to the Saudi Arabia Highway Patrol project.

Chief Mitchell was the first officer at the LSPD to graduate from the FBI’s National Academy in 1982.

Officer Melvin Blunt was shot during a “routine traffic stop”. The 9-1-1 System was implemented at the LSPD on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1983.

In October, 1988, LSPD selected eight new officers to attend the police academy.

In September, 1989, the city looked to expand or re-locate the Lee’s Summit Police Department (located at 115 SE 2nd Street at this time). Chief Henderson was entering into a long process of solving a serious space problem.

In 1991, the LSPD received its first K-9 Officer, Caiy with Officer Mike Childs.

In July, 1992, Officer Mike Childs was shot during a scuffle with a suspected prowler.

1994 – saw the creation of the first Citizens Police Academy, January 31 thru April 4.

He served through December, 1996 . Acting Chief Underwood spent 34 years with the Lee’s Summit Police Department, working in and commanding every aspect of the department.

The City of Lee’s Summit continued to grow with the estimated population in 2005 as 76,320.

Major Joseph M. Piccinini was appointed Interim/Acting Chief November 2, 2007.

The police department in 2008 was comprised of 117 sworn officers and 58 civilian employees, including animal control.

Chief Piccinini initiated a “Community Policing” concept, lead the department to becoming a nationally accredited agency, expanded patrol districts from seven to ten and reduced Part 1 crimes (homicide, rape, robbery, etc). Chief Piccinini retired January 17, 2014.

from 'The Official 2021 Lee's Summit Relocation Guide'