About the SHPD


The city of St. Helena was first settled by Dr. Edward Bale, who was granted the land from the Mexican government. Bale went on to build the Bale gristmill just outside St. Helena in 1846; the structure still stands today and is a state historic landmark.

St. Helena was incorporated in 1876; its first marshal was John H. Allison. The marshal and elected constable policed the city in the early years.

In 1886, citizens complained about loud and profane prisoners in the city's jail; the town council contemplated gagging the prisoners until the city attorney deemed the idea illegal. The city instead build a sturdy stone jail with several cells. Minor criminals were housed in the jail to avoid the difficulty of transporting them to the county jail in the city of Napa. The jail stood until it was demolished in 1960 to make way for a parochial school.

The last known lynching in Napa County occurred in St. Helena on May 9, 1888. John Wright was being held in the town's jail, pending trial for murder. Marshal Swartout heard rumors of trouble, so he left the keys to the jail with the local justice of the peace, Judge Elgin. In the middle of the night, a mob forced Elgin to produce the keys; the mob removed Wright from the jail and hanged him from a bridge near the Beringer Vineyard. The identities of the members of the mob were never discovered.

The St. Helena Police Department was first organized in 1940; the first chief of Police was Chanie C. Johnson. He supervised a department of three officers. Until 1965, officers were summoned by means of a pole with a red light on top, which was located in the 1300 block of Main Street.

The above was an excerpt from the book "Images of America Napa County Police" courtesy of Todd Shulman and the Napa Police Historical Society. Click the picture below for more information.


The St. Helena Police Department currently has 11 full time Police Officers, one Reserve Police Officer, the Chief of Police, four Dispatchers, and two Community Service Officers. We serve a population of 6100 and cover an area of approximately four square miles. The Department utilizes the 3-12 shift schedule and has specialized enforcement details such as motorcycle, K-9, and bicycle patrol.

   
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...and then