Law enforcement can be traced back to approximately 1879 when the then Village of Clintonville appointed D.A. McNeil to the position of Village Marshall. The position was often incorporated with other duties such as Street Commissioner and Health Inspector and was not a very highly paid position. The position was re-appointed every year in April and most often the individual holding the position rarely stayed for more than one year.

On 01/30/1884 the Village Council empowered the Village Marshall to employ a detective or special police for the purpose of maintaining order and the suppression of unlawful acts. Thusly forming the first "Police Force". This lasted for a short time as the Village Council could not agree that the new expanded law enforcement was justified by the cost, and the Village Marshall's newly found authority was quickly retracted.

In 1885 the wage for the Village Marshall shot up to $1.00 a day ,or $365.00 per year, making the position a little more attractive. Another wage increase in 1890 brought the wage up to $1.50 a day but also then created a new regulation that a uniform should be worn by the Village Marshall.

In 1887 the Village of Clintonville became the City of Clintonville and to go along with the new government, a new title was created for the Village Marshall, City Marshall.

Change in personnel was still frequent up until 04/12/1892, when Fred Hess was appointed City Marshall. Prior to Fred Hess the longest lasting Marshall stayed in the position only three years. Hess performed his duties for nine years until he was replaced on 04/09/1901 by John J. Monty. John Monty grew to become a legend in Clintonville law enforcement lasting until 1944, when he retired from the force. During the tenure of John Monty the position changed from City Marshall to Chief of Police, The City of Clintonville formed a Police and Fire Commission and an actual police force began to grow. When Monty retired the force changed from the one man department in 1901 to a force of five full time officers. The Department continued to gain in experience and size becoming the present day organization it is.

Here is a list of chiefs and their years of service to the City of Clintonville since 1944:

1944-1956 Ozwald Goerlinger
1956-1960 Leonard Manser
1960-1972 James Beggs
1972-1978 Milford Bodoh
1978-1991 Gerald Blum
1991-1995 Gerald Bartelt
1995-Present Terry Lorge