Chief Ernie Long (1978)

Town records reflect that the Town of Ocean View held its first election on April 13, 1889. Justice of The Peace, David Green, oversaw the election.

On May 18, 1889, Ocean View resident E.J. Farlow was appointed the first Constable for the Town of Ocean View. Constables served at the pleasure of the town council and had arrest powers within the town limits.

Constables continued to provide law enforcement services on a part-time basis until June 29, 1959, when Mitchell Fisher of Milton was appointed the town's first police officer. Officer Fisher's salary was $65 per week, and he initially had to use his own car.

Chief Ernie Long (1978)

On July 30, 1959, the town purchased a black unmarked 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne from Warren Motor Company in Selbyville. The car was a police package car equipped with a 289-cubic inch V8 engine, General Electric police radio, and Federal 28 motor-driven siren. The car was not equipped with emergency lights. To stop a violator, the officer flashed the headlights and blew the siren.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, one full-time officer and several auxiliary officers generally staffed the police department. Auxiliary officers were fully recognized by the State of Delaware, were armed, and had full police powers. However, they only worked on a part-time basis.

1978 Dodge Monico at the police station

On Aug. 21, 1971, the Ocean View Police Department suffered its first death in the line of duty when Auxiliary Patrolman Wallace Melson succumbed to a heart attack during a vehicle pursuit.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, auxiliary officers were phased out of service as mandatory police academy training was imposed. Throughout most of the 1980s and 1990s, one or two full-time officers staffed the police department.

Sergeant Neal Murray (1971)

In February 1980, Dana Shifflet was appointed as chief of the OVPD making her the first female police chief in the state of Delaware.

As the area in and around Ocean View transformed from a sleepy coastal communtiy into a thriving resort area, the town council began to plan the expansion of the police department.

Dana Shifflett First Female police chief in the State of Delaware (1980)

In May 2001, Kenneth M. McLaughlin was appointed the police chief. Chief McLaughlin, who had previously served as a police officer in the nearby communities of Bethany Beach and Selbyville, was tasked with bringing the department into the modern age.

Almost immediately, Chief McLaughlin began aggressively pursuing law enforcement related grants to hire additional officers and purchase modern equipment. Police vehicles were outfitted with mobile data terminals, video cameras, evidence collection equipment, automated external defibrillators, and TASERS. Additionally, all members of the department began undergoing a regimented training program, which enhanced the officer's individual skills in a number of areas.

Sergeant Glenn Griffen (1993)

The department currently employs eight (8) full-time police officers and one (1) part-time officer, as well as one (1) full-time secretary. The department has quickly become one of the most respected municipal police agencies in the state.