Past

Weyerhauser Lumber Company built the Coal Valley jail in 1856 and donated it to the township.  In the same year, Coal Valley was incorporated and the township gave the jail to the Village.  Back in 1856 when the Coal Valley Jail was built it sat in the center of town, feared by children because it was rumored to house only the most dangerous criminals.  Actually according to the township records dating back to July 1858, most of the desperados housed in the jail were local residents involved in fights, resulting in charges of assault and battery.  Others were detained for not paying debts.

In 1939 the Village sold the jail to Lyle Lees for the sum of $25.00 to be used as a barn on his farm.  In 1978 the Jail was bought from Mr. Lee’s grandsons for the amount of $1.00.  In April 1978, a committee was formed to restore the jail.  Between a lot of hard work and donations the Coal Valley jail was restored and is now housed at the Village of Coal Valley Park.

Coal Valley - Early 1900's

Historical records indicate that the first two Constables were appointed in 1857.  Historical records concerning early law enforcement are very limited but we do know the Village of Coal Valley relied on a series of part-time Constables and Marshals until 1966 when the first Chief of Police Robert D. Rose was appointed.  The Marshals had to use their own personal cars for police work prior to April of 1966 when the Village purchased its first squad car.  This was such an event that it made the newspapers, complete with photographs.

Shown below is Village Marshall Henry "Hank" DeVooght. This photo was taken in 1961. Hank was instrumental in starting the Coal Valley Volunteer Fire Department in 1949. At that time he took out a personal loan for $3,000 to buy fire equipment for the newly formed district.

Our uniform shoulder patch was designed around the official Village Seal. The Village Seal was designed by a Coal Valley resident based on an actual photograph taken of a Coal Valley coal miner Melvin Woolley in the early 1950's. The shoulder patch was adopted by the Coal Valley Police Department around 1974.
    

  Present

The Village Of Coal Valley is a rapidly growing community that is a part of what is known as the Illinois-Iowa Quad Cities.  This area is made up of the Illinois Cities of Moline, Rock Island and East Moline and the Iowa Cities of Davenport and Bettendorf.  Coal Valley borders the City of Moline.  Currently we have a population of about 3,700 residents.   

The Village of Coal Valley built a new Municipal Center in 2002, which houses the Village Hall, Police Department, Township, Assessor and the Robert R. Jones Library.  One and all are very proud of the new Village of Coal Valley Municipal Center.

Coal Valley is located in Rock Island County, however the Village limits extend into neighboring Henry County and thus our patrol area gives us jurisdiction in both Counties.  

We do not have our own dispatch center and presently we have a contract with the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Department for dispatch and Enhanced 911 services. 

Currently the Coal Valley Police Department has a total of seven full-time officers and one part-time officer. All of our part-time Officer’s are State Certified.  We are very proud of the fact that three of our full-time officers have over 20 years with the Department.  Our department is known for the longevity and the commitment of our Officers. 

Past & Present Chief's of Police

Robert D. Rose 1966 - 1972
Richard Gunzenhauser 1972 - 1973
Gary Tilton 1973 - 1973
Jack W. Coleman 1973 - 1977
Gordon A. Powell 1977 - 1982
Lindy C. Peterson 1983 - 1986
Roy Shrake 1986 - 1990
Larry R. Buechler 1990 - Present