History

On August 12, 1862, a massive fire destroyed the entire business district of Horseheads. From what has been discovered after the fire, the earliest recorded police justice seems to have been Dewitt C. Curtis. He was appointed in 1870 and was succeeded by T.V. Weller, who held the office until 1883 when Martin V. Backman was elected to fill the position. Law Enforcement for Horseheads apparently consisted of constables and police justices for many years with assistance of sheriff’s deputies.

In 1937, according to scarce records that could be found, Police Chief Colin Storrs was appointed. T.E. LaFrance was designated the first police “justice.” The police department served the community on a part-time basis until 1945, after which Chief Marcus Dilmore initiated 24-hr. coverage. 2020 marked 75 years of full-time police coverage in the Village of Horseheads. He also instituted a record-keeping system for arrests, complaints, and accident investigations. Soon after, the Horseheads Police Department combined with Elmira Police for the first radio communication network in the area.

The Horseheads Police Department developed a police K9 program in 1994.  Police Bike patrols were added in 1995 and are still being used today.  In 2009, the Police Department joined the Chemung County 911 Communication Center for all dispatching services. From 2002 through 2023, the Police Department provided a School Resource Officer program for the Horseheads School District which included an accredited class “Perspectives in Law Enforcement” at the Horseheads High School.