History
The Dowagiac Police Department has a long and proud tradition of service to the citizens of Dowagiac dating back 150+ years.
1848
In 1848 Ira D. Mosher was elected as the 1st Constable and MT Garvey was elected as Justice of the Peace to enforce laws.
December 22, 1857
Notice was served to the Board of Supervisors of Cass County that an application was being made to have Dowagiac incorporated into a village. February 1, 1858 the petition was granted and an election was ordered to be held on March 2, 1858 to give the new village of Dowagiac a President (Mayor), 6 Trustees, 2 Accessors, A Marshal (Chief of Police), 1 Treasurer, 1 Clerk, 3 Street Commissioners, a Pound Master and a Fire Warden. The Marshal, of course, proceeded who we call the Chief of Police. On February 27, 1860 the President and Trustees of the Corporation of the Village of Dowagiac, changed the By-Laws and Ordinances of Dowagiac by adding Article 16, which reads as follow:
"Be it further ordained and established by said Board of Trustees: That the Marshal shall exist his authority as Chief of Police, in quelling riots, dispersing unlawful assemblages, preventing a breach of the peace, and generally in enforcing the ordinances, by-laws, regulations and orders of the Board of Trustees."
So, although they were still called a Marshal, the actual title/role of Chief of Police began in 1860.
1860-1881
The 1st Police Chief of Dowagiac was Peter Hannan who served several terms as chief since it was an elected position in those days. Dowagiac had 12 saloons and was known for being "the worst whiskey hole on the MCHH" according to locals. Things got so out of hand the town had to vote in 1881 to close all saloons on Sundays.
1904
John Barleycorn was arrested and lodged at the Dowagiac Jail (located Front/Commercial St) and successfully escaped and was never located. To date, he is the only inmate to successfully escape.
1921
The "Roaring Twenties" came with a price in our small town. Dowagiac made National News with the Monroe Triple Homicide. William (father), Mary (wife), and Neva (daughter) were found brutally murdered. Ardith (daughter) was barely alive when Night Patrolman James Pinette discovered the gruesome scene. It is believed that sex and money were the motive (Neva was brutally raped before she was killed) ($1500 was stashed in the basement according to a bystander that overheard William talking to the local Lumberman about building a house and having the cash hidden) the main suspect was Cyrus Ryther who was later determined mentally incompetent to stand trial and was placed in a Mental Asylum in Lapeer, Indiana where he later escaped and was never located.
1926
First Bank Robbery in Dowagiac-Lee State Bank, located at the corner of S Front/Commercial-one of the five the suspect's is Lester Joseph Gillis AKA Baby Face Nelson-Nationally recognized as "Public Enemy One" and known for killing more federal agents than anyone in history. Nelson was well known to the FBI as he belonged to the "John Dillinger Gang" which had ties all across America. Nelson was first arrested at the age of 7 for shooting a relative in the foot. Dowagiac Police Chief Oscar Burch was responding and shot several times during the robbery. This was the 1st jury in SW Michigan to have a woman as a juror.
Winter 1941-1942
At one point in history, the Dowagiac City Jail received a triple-A rating on the Hobo Travel Guide. The jail was a "Winter Resort" a hot stove and harmonica music filled the cells and was considered a warm safe-haven for many homeless until Police Chief Robert Monaghan ordered the heat to the Jail to be turned OFF and the blankets taken away. Approximately 500 transient rail riders sought shelter elsewhere. (info taken from a newspaper article published March 18, 1942)
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1950's Police cruisers
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pictured: Patrolman K. McCloud-taken 1953
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1955-1977
Pictured below, Chief Grady is seen with Patrolman Joseph Underwood in1973; Underwood later went on to start a 24 year career with Cass County Sheriffs Office becoming the 1st African American Sheriff in Cass County.
August 2023
The City of Dowagiac dedicated the George L. Grady Police Station located at City Hall. Dennis & Ron Grady proudly accepted their father’s plaque alongside their mother; Cynthia and Sister Deborah and several other family members. The bronze plaque was presented by Mayor Donald Lyons.
Dowagiac Area History Museum Director Steve Arseneau provided context for Grady’s groundbreaking accomplishments from research done for Michigan History magazine. “The community has always known George Grady was the first Black police chief in Michigan history,” Arseneau said. “What was unknown was where he fit into the national story. In 1879, former slave Stephen Bates was elected sheriff of Vergennes, Vermont, and continued to be elected until his 1907 death. “Many people may not know that by the early 1900s, Cass County had established itself as home to the largest Black population in Michigan outside of Detroit and Grand Rapids.” “While many schools were integrated, there were still Black neighborhoods in parts of town and racism existed, perhaps less visible here in the North because Jim Crow laws in the South made it so obvious, but there were unspoken rules that let people of color know where they were not welcome.” “This is the situation George Grady walked into,” Arseneau said. “Serving as a deep-sea diver in the newly-integrated armed forces likely prepared him for his calling as the first Black police officer in his hometown in 1955, which saw the rise of Martin Luther King Jr. as he and others led boycotts and protests.” Lyons, Dowagiac’s longest-serving mayor, praised the way Grady “dealt with the inherent systemic racism of our society, as well as the overt racism of that time. George Grady showed that one man with fortitude and courage can inspire others to continue to fight against the poisonous forces of racism. The one thing we can never afford to do is to give up that fight.”
1960's Police Cruisers
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1990's Police Cruisers
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2005
September 2005 the Dowagiac Police Department introduced a new officer, 1st of a kind, to the community; K9 Cessy. K9 Cessy reported for duty each day with her handler Officer Dave Davis. She was native to Dusseldorf, Germany and came to the United States when she was purchased by Rudy Drexler's School for Dogs in Elkhart, Indiana. K9 Cessy and Officer Davis received 120 hours of training in narcotics detection, tracking, and K9 patrol tactics. K9 Cessy was trained to detect six different narcotic odors; marijuana, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and ecstasy.
K9 Cessy faithfully served our community for 10 years before retiring to the Davis family.
2009-Current
In 2009, the Dowagiac Police Department underwent an administrative transformation from a traditional police department to a public safety department. Chief Atkinson was promoted to the newly formed Director of Public Safety position and served till 2013, in which he retired. The now acting Director of Public Safety is Steve Grinnewald. (pictured below) The Dowagiac Police and Fire Departments both operate as separate departments, however each department is led by the Director of Public Safety. 
July 2016-Decemeber 2022
K9 Tole joined the ranks of the Dowagiac Police Department July 2016 alongside his handler; Officer Kevin Roman. Throughout his career, K9 Tole was certified through the National Association of Professional Canine Handlers each year; certification included, Narcotics detection, Tracking, Article Search and Handler Protection. K9 Tole participated in a wide variety of community events that included reading to our Junior Chieftains and visiting with students at all of our local schools including Southwestern Michigan College students. After retirement, K9 Tole embraced his retirement and still enjoys coming to the department where he accepts unlimited amounts of treats and enjoys naps. K9 Tole shared a retirement celebration with his best K9 pal-K9 Faust from Cass County Sheriff's Office. 
June 2021-Current
2021 National Night Out we introduced our newest Rookie, K9 Cash. K9 Cash has joined the family with Handler Kevin Roman and K9 Tole. K9 Cash is a Belgian Malinois and has earned certification in Obedience, Building and Article Search, Tracking and Handler Protection. In his first year on patrol, K9 Cash was already proving his worth with a 100% success rate for tracking. 
The Dowagiac Police Department has a current strength of 12 Sworn Officers, one civilian Administrative Assistant and three Crossing Guards. There are currently eight officers assigned to the patrol division that work 12-hour shifts. There are always two officers on duty in the patrol division 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The department has One detective assigned to the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team (CCDET), One K9-K9 Cash, and a School Resource Officer assigned to Dowagiac Public Schools.
Through the years, the Dowagiac Police Department has always stood for Pride, Integrity, and Justice.
This tradition of excellence continues to this day.