El Paso Police motorcycle officers - 1928

left - H.J. Williams, Harris Sheldon Bernhardt, Arnold Green, E.W. Cockran Photo taken behind 211 S. Campbell (police headquarters)

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Police Department

Uploaded by: Harry Kirk

El Paso Police motorcycle officer - 1928

El Paso Motor Officer Harris Sheldon Bernhardt Motor 10 - 1928

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Police Department

Uploaded by: Harry Kirk

El Paso Police officers

Ex El Paso Police Chief Jeff Milton Davis (standing) and officer Alvin Ash - 1920s

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: Miki Mangan Fairfield, CT

Uploaded by: Harry Kirk

El Paso Police Department - 1921

El Paso Police Department - 1921 In front of 219 S. Campbell police headquarters

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Police Department

Uploaded by: Harry Kirk

El Paso Police officer Tom Threepersons - 1921

On March 9, 1921, the El Paso Herald reported, "One Man is Threepersons; Fights with Three Persons. Threepersons engaged, single handed three persons in a gun battle at the bridge at Canal and Charles Streets Tuesday night just before midnight." Not to be confused with the rodeo cowboy of the same name, Tom Threepersons was a notable lawman in El Paso, Texas during the violent years of the 1920s. While serving as a member of the city's police force, Threepersons and his partner Juan Escontrias engaged bootleggers in a handful of gunfights in 1920 and 1921. In 1922, Threepersons left the El Paso PD to join the Prohibition Service. His law enforcement career would also include stints as a deputy sheriff and Customs Agent. Of course, he is also famous for the very popular holster that bears his name.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: Harry Kirk

Uploaded by: Harry Kirk

El Paso Police Detectives - 1929

El Paso Police Detectives and front of 219 S. Campbell St.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Police Department

Uploaded by: Harry Kirk

El Paso Police Department Motorcycle detail - 1928

Left to Right: H.J. Williams, Harold Green, E.W. Cockran, Leo Bennedetto, H.S. Bernhardt, John Shaffer and C.E. Johnson

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Police Department

Uploaded by: Harry Kirk

El Paso Police officer Juan Escontrias - 20s

Throughout the 1920s, El Paso's lawmen were frequently the subject of newspaper coverage. And there was plenty to write about. Given the city's proximity to the border and to the red light district of Ciudad Juarez, El Paso was a sort of "ground zero" in the so-called Liquor War on the Rio Grande. From the beginning of statewide prohibition, and through the 20s and 30, El Paso was a battleground for both local and federal officers, charged with enforcing both the Volstead Act and the Harrison Narcotics Act. One of the soldiers in that war was Juan Escontrias, a native of the area who was born in 1891. During his career as a lawman, Escontrias served as an El Paso County Deputy Sheriff, police officer, constable and two separate tenures as a city detective. In the early 1920s, Escontrias' partner was none other than legendary lawman Tom Threepersons, with whom he had a number of fights with criminals. Despite his reputation as a hard hitting enforcer of the law, Escontrias also developed a dubious reputation for being a little too hard hitting. His killing of one suspect in 1922 led to his being tried for murder, and throughout the 1920s there were occasional accusations of excessive force. Nevertheless, Escontrias remained a well liked figure in area law enforcement until he killed a reputedly corrupt Mexican narcotics agent named Ignacio Dosamantes in front of an El Paso police station. The Dosamantes case would be Escontrias' undoing, and the veteran officer was convicted of murder and sent to Huntsville, where he would serve for five years before being granted a pardon. Following his release, the once heralded lawman virtually faded from the public eye.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: Harry Kirk

Uploaded by: Harry Kirk

El Paso Police Patrol Wagon - 1920s

Left to Right: W.A. (Dad) Warnock, W. C. Woolverton, Lynn McClintock Lynn McClintock was killed in his motorcycle in 1926 near the Santa Fe Bridge. He had been a veteran of the police department and he was pursuing a whiskey smuggler. The car of the smuggler hit the motorcycle and McClintock died at the scene. The bootleggers Charles Joseph Perry, Miguel Parada and Baltazar Perez were arrested and charged with first degree murder. W.A. Warnock would retire as a captain at the age of 81 April 1931. W.C. Woolverton would later become chief of police April 1949.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Police Department

Uploaded by: Harry Kirk