DE LEON POLICE 

POLICE DEPT.

    De Leon’s earliest known city jail was 5’ x 5’ x 5’ lockup was located behind the commercial buildings on East Gonzales at the east end of the alley.  A new jail cell was donated to the city by the county and placed in the city hall completed in 1913.  The new jail had no windows and was a very hot, dark facility according to Clarence Redden Jr.  It was assessable only from the north side of the building.  He remembered being allowed to go inside to see a young man who had been arrested for what today would be called drag racing down main street, throwing up sand behind the car.

De Leon’s Police department in front of the old Post Office (Houston and Reynosa) about 1954.  Chief Patton is on the right.  Photo from the De Leon Centennial book from the Free Press files.  About the time this photo was taken, C.L. Huddleston was operating his photo studio out of the old post office building.