Lansing Police Department

History of the Lansing Police Department 

The City of Lansing was chartered in 1859. The Lansing Police Department and Board of Police Commissioners was developed to serve and protect the citizens of Lansing in 1893. 

1894 Chief Sanford and LPD members

The chief at the time, John Stanford, was only 30 years old when he started. He commanded a force of officers and had a budget of $7,380.

Left: An officer works the traffic signal in front of the Capitol.

Right: A history of LPD badges up to 1993

Due to the R.E. Olds relationship, LPD was among the first in the nation to have an motorized police department.

In 1993, LPD  celebrated its 100th anniversary

Today, the Chief of Police is Mike Yankowski. His department of 184 sworn officers patrol a 33 square mile city with a population of 114,000.

Lansing Police Department-Patrol Division