Nine streets to be dedicated at June 23 ceremony honoring San Bernardino’s first police officers

On Thursday, June 23rd, nine new streets will be named after San Bernardino’s original nine police officers in a 10:00 am dedication ceremony near the corner of Meyers Road and Little League Drive. The public is invited to attend.

The dedication will include the unveiling of a specially made stone, at the entrance to the new housing development, which is a replica of the original badge worn by the nine officers back in 1905, along with a plaque commemorating the officers.  The ceremony will also feature the San Bernardino Police Department’s equestrian unit and honor guard, as well as city and community leaders.

This street dedication is thanks to over ten years of hard work and dedication of the San Bernardino Police Historical Society, which proposed naming city streets after the original officers back in 2011. The nine streets make up a new housing development by GFR Homes.

“We were so excited to hear from Felix Robles of GFR Homes,” said San Bernardino Police Historical Society Chairman and retired SBPD Sergeant Dennis Houser. “Felix remembered our proposal and was in the process of building a housing development with nine streets. It worked out perfectly.”

The original San Bernardino police officers who took office on May 15, 1905, were John Bell Kettering, Robert O’Rourke, John A. Henderson, William Hurley, Edward Poppett, Benjamin Emerson, Richard Curtis, Robert Nish and Chief Walter Shay Jr.