Fay House

This building is a Craftsman home. The original owner, O. D. Fay, was active in many Glendora businesses. His son, Dan Fay, was a longtime (1947-64) Glendora police chief.

This is a simple Victorian home with some Craftsman features. The original owner, O. D. Fay, was active in many Glendora businesses. His son, Dan Fay, was a longtime (1947-64) Glendora police chief.

The History of Public Safety in Glendora The first police officer in the city was actually known as the City Marshal. The Marshal’s office was created in 1911 with the incorporation of the City of Glendora, a position first held by Frank Kuhry, who was paid $90 a month to be the Marshal, which included $50 a month to be the night watchman, and $15 a month to be street superintendent. Prior to that, the only law enforcement in the area was provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department from Station #8 (San Dimas) and the Azusa tree warden. Anyone found injuring a tree was fined $100.00, a testament to our Citrus industry heritage. Glendora’s population at that time was about 700 people.

Nine different officers held the title of City Marshal from 1911 to 1926, at which time the Glendora Police Department was formed. Glendora officers didn’t wear formal uniforms until 1934. From 1926 until 1931, Officer Milton Squires and Chief Sam Baxter, the first Chief, who doubled at the department’s traffic officer, were the entire staff of the police department until a third man was hired as an officer and fire truck driver. The population had increased to 2,700 by this time. From 1920 until the 1950’s, the City of Glendora had an appointed Police Commissioner, a position held by a member of the City Council as a civilian figurehead.

The first city jail consisted of a wooden jail in the barn of City Marshal O.D. Fay; whose son O. Dan Fay Jr eventually became the Chief of Police in 1947 and is who the present police facility is named after. The old wooden jail eventually became the dog pound when the office of Poundmaster was established in 1914. The new jail was located in what is now the Glendora Historical Society building at 314 N. Glendora Ave, what was previously known as Michigan Ave. When the current city hall building was completed in 1922, the jail and police department were located upstairs at city hall. It has been said that city council meetings were often interrupted by the yelling and screaming of intoxicated arrestee’s who had to be literally dragged upstairs to the city jail. Our current facility was dedicated in 1966 at what used to be a city park, with legendary LA County Sheriff Peter Pitchess in attendance to help celebrate the dedication. 

O. D. Fay House, Redfin. Accessed April 14th 2022. https://www.redfin.com/CA/Glendora/231-E-Leadora-Ave-91741/home/8028993.

City of Glendora Police Department, City of Glendora. June 1st 2011. Accessed May 19th 2022. https://www.cityofglendora.org/home/showpublisheddocument?id=5174.