Page Three
Following his second election in 1907, Hammel appointed as his Undersheriff Robert T. Brain,
who is still serving Los Angeles County as a member of the County Parole Board, representing
the District Attorney's Office.
From 1907, the beginning of his second period of service as Sheriff, until 1912, the middle of his
second term in that period, the personnel had been increased to forty-eight. Twenty additional
members had been added to his force of Deputies. Meanwhile, a number of improvements in
equipment and additions to the service had taken place. This was really the beginning of
expansion and extended service in the Sheriff's Office of Los Angeles County.
It was during 1907 that the first automobile ever owned by the County was purchased and
introduced into service in the Sheriff's Office. It was a Locomobile and was assigned to the
personal use of the Sheriff in connection with his official duties. All official County transportation
prior to this had been by horse and buggy, horseback, bicycle and train.
The first driver for the Sheriff's car was a Bill Fryer who served in that capacity until about the
year 1912. He was a real daredevil driver and was known as "Rough and Ready". He was
absolutely fearless and quite reckless in his handling of this new means of transportation.
Sheriff Hammel was a strict disciplinarian and had a very definite obsession against certain
personal habits of his men, among which was smoking a pipe on the part of any of his deputies
while on duty, such an infraction of the rules of propriety as he interpreted them was penalized by
an immediate discharge if they were caught in the act by the Sheriff.
The first Special Details of the Office originated during this time. The horse theft detail was
organized in 1910, and 1912, the first night detail began to operate. This crew went on duty at
five 0'clock P.M. and off at three o'clock A.M. A number of other changes were effected, which
increased the efficiency of the service given by the Office to the citizens of the County.
In 1909 the number of Superior Court Departments was increased by the addition of three more
Judges bringing the number up to twelve. This was in February of that year and evidenced the
great growth of business, and increase of duties of the Sheriff's Office. By August tenth, 1913,
the dockets were crowded and cased delayed, to such an extent that six additional Departments
were added, making a total of eighteen Departments of the Superior Court in the County, thus
doubling the number in existence at the beginning of Hammel's second administration.
The population growth was assuming large proportions, and the multiplication of the problems
accompanying it, necessitated an increase in the Sheriff's Office, as it had been through the
years, was being rapidly transformed into the "Sheriff's Department", a very necessary integral
and important unit in the Governmental structure of Los Angeles County.
During Hammel's second term of his second period in office some very important changes in
County governmental organization took place. Owing to the increase in population and industry,
it was thought advisable that advantage should be taken of the provision in the Constitution of
the State of California, authorizing the chartering of Counties as a means of securing greater
right in local self government for the citizens of the County, to secure such a charter. A County
Charter was drawn up and submitted to the voters on October fifth, 1912 and ratified by a large
majority. It was then submitted to the State Legislature for approval and passed that body
January twenty-ninth, 1913, going into effect on the twentieth day of June, that year.
This Charter more strongly centralized the County governmental authority in the Board of
Supervisors, than had been the case under the previous procedure.
A very important change in administration which affected the Sheriff's Office was in connection
with the township Constables of the County. This was an elective office in each township. The
new Charter provided that the Constables of these Townships were to be appointed by the Sheriff
from an eligible Civil Service list. The Constabulary were to be placed under the supervision of
the Sheriff, and all Constables were to have an ex-officio ranking as Deputy Sheriff. A division
of County Government was created, which consisted of the Sheriff and all Constables of the
County, which was to know as the County Constabulary. Each Constable was made subject to
the orders and directions of the Sheriff.