HISTORY OF THE DAYTON KY POLICE DEPARTMENT
The city of Dayton, KY originates from two separate communities in the late 1800's known as Jamestown and Brooklyn, merging in 1867 to become what we know today as Dayton KY. With this new merge also came the birth of the Dayton Police Department. According to the State Charter the founding fathers for the city were James Berry, James McArthur and Henry Walker. The vote to merge the two communities was a landslide with Brooklyn voting 51-6 in favor and Jamestown voting 97-5 in favor. Other suggested names for the city included Crescent, Berryville, North Point and Campbleton but was renamed Dayton in honor of Dayton Ohio.
Dayton had a popular beach for many years known as the "Manhattan bathing beach" until the US army Corps of Engineers raised the level of the Ohio River. A ferry also operated at the foot of what is now Dayton Street in Jamestown. Floods effecting 80% of the city struck Dayton KY in 1884, 1913 and 1937, but many believe that the floodwall built in late 1981 revived the town and it has since prospered into what we see today.
Dayton today has a population of 5,966 and continues to grow. Dayton is working on downtown revitalization and a historical survey of the city. It is the first step toward creating a historic district in the city.
