Charles Elton (police)

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Charles E. Elton (February 1855 – September 5, 1916) was the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1900 to 1904. He was born in New York and had worked as a railroad man and a real estate agent before becoming a police chief.

Elton introduced a Flying Squad of bicycle officers to help the under‑staffed department cover Los Angeles’ large area. A 1904 police salary guide showed officers’ pay, with the chief listed as a city official.

He resigned in 1904. The Los Angeles Evening Express said his tenure had been hampered by inexperience and political opposition, not his fault.

Later, Elton faced legal troubles. In 1906 he was arrested for failing to pay alimony, owing about $600. By 1910 he lived in Portland, Oregon, where he ran a bicycle shop. In 1911 he was arrested on a forgery charge related to a land deal and released on a $1,000 bond.

The Los Angeles Record, in a 1924 retrospective, described his regime as controversial and “foggy,” noting that he left the job in 1904 to make way for W. A. Hammel under Mayor Snyder.