SLTPD 50th anniversary to have boat rides, K-9s, Calstar, BBQ, concert and awards

The community is in for a treat on Saturday, May 20 as the South Lake Tahoe Police Department celebrates 50 years of service with a party at Lakeview Commons from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Locals and visitors, young and old, can ride on the SLTPD boat, see the department's K-9s, watch a demonstration over the water with CalStar at 3:00 p.m., watch how the drone assists in rescues, an awards ceremony that will honor three citizens as well as staff at 4:00 p.m., and a free BBQ. There is also a free concert on the beach.

It all started on July 1, 1967 in the back half of the building that is now Nel's Hardware on Fremont Avenue. Prior to that date, deputies from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) patrolled South Lake Tahoe, both before the city was formed in 1965, and until a police department could be assembled two years later.

On May 1, 1967, the first step was the hiring of Ray Lauritzen, a 26-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department as the first SLT Police Chief. Second on board was Sgt. John Crow who came over from EDSO exactly one month later. Crow helped with equipment and personnel selection and organization. On June 12 of that year, Sgt. Chuck Leary, a veteran with the San Luis Obispo police force joined and was in charge of background checks on the department's new applicants.

More than 400 people applied to be part of that first force. To narrow down the field, tests were given to 283 of those men in Seal Beach, Roseville and South Lake Tahoe. Then interviews by the Chief in Los Angeles and Sacramento followed, and then there were 30, the last of whom was hired on June 30, 1967. There was the Chief, nine sergeants, 20 patrolmen and soon to follow, three female "clerk/matrons." Dispatchers were hired for a combined communications complex of City police and fire, Lake Valley Fire. The SLTPD headquarters were at the corner of Lake Tahoe Boulevard and "D" Street.

The budget for that first department was $360,000, which included $275,725 for salaries and $47,780 for equipment including six shotguns and two bullhorns.

The 1967 police department had a big test the minute it went into operation on Saturday, July 1, the first day of the Fourth of July weekend. "An inopportune time" to get started said Chief Lauritzen at the time.

That first month was a very busy one for the department. There were 22 adult felony arrests, four juvenile arrests, 43 juvenile crimes, 31 burglaries (with 2 arrests), two robberies (1 arrest), five stolen cars that led to three arrests, 26 thefts from autos, six batteries (1 arrest), 10 malicious mischief, 10 petty thefts that led to 10 arrests, one liquor law violation, three indecent exposures, 13 stolen bicycles, 12 narcotic arrests, one drunken driver arrest, one violation of probation arrest and one statutory rape. Four of the five cars were recovered, and six of the 13 stolen bikes were recovered.

Also during that first month, there were 30 traffic accidents (nine of those resulted in 14 injuries). "Speed was a factor in nearly half of these mishaps," said the story at the time. "About 50 vehicles were involved." Officers issued 285 traffic citations during those 31 days.

Beach Patrol Photo: L-R - M.D. Johnson, Sgt. R.H. Bezanson, Jim MacAllister, Ed Gould, George Bergmn and Sgt. A.H Pickles.

The First SLT Police Force Photo: From left, front row; Sgt. Chuck Lowery, William Reed, Clayton Dyrr, George Bergman, Dick McEwen, Mitchell Johnson, Sgt. Donald Johnson, Sgt. Ralph Bezanson, Sgt. Alfred Pickles, James MacAllister, Sgt. Richard Richards, Claire Koehler and Jerry Hill. Second row: Chief Ray Lauritizen, Sgt. John Crow, Jack Laederick, Harvey Zion, Ed Gould, Richard Dunn, Raymond Ramer, Sgt. Allen Crum, Edward Springer Jr., Jim Cornell, Arthur Winston, Raymond Skerry, Sgt. Robert Dennett, Gulio Querin and Harold Larkin. Not pictured are Bob Tucker and Sgt. Peter Brautovich.