Police protection for the Town of Clayton began in 1869. There is little known on the very early history of Clayton Police Department due to a lack of records kept by town officials. The earliest known information on Clayton Police Department picks up 84 years later with Chief Frank Carter;�but the only information documented is when he resigned in September of 1953.
Charlie Allen followed Chief Frank Carter. At that time, the police department consisted of the chief and two police officers. No information regarding any additional staffing or changes made while Charlie Allen was chief were documented.
The next known information is of a new police chief, which was Sammy Johnson. Johnson served as chief for an unknown number of years. By the time Sammy Johnson was chief, the department had grown to eight officers.
In 1973 Marsdon Cannady, a native of Sampson County, was the next officer to become chief of Clayton Police Department. The starting annual salary for the position of chief in 1973 was $7,943
Gary Ragland, a 30-year-old law student from Campbell College, became interim chief in 1977. Chief Ragland served as interim chief for approximately one year when a new Chief of police was found in Paul Keen.
Chief Keen was a native of Johnston County and had been with the Clayton Police Department for a few months. Chief Keen remained chief of police in Clayton for twenty-one years. This was the longest stint anyone has served as chief of police in Clayton. During Chief Keen’s duration as police chief, it was not unusual to have only two officers working day shift and three officers working night shift. This was due to the small size of the police department in the mid-to late-1980s. In the late 1980s, Clayton had around fifteen sworn officers to patrol the streets.
After being cramped in the basement of town hall for 68 years, the police department finally moved into their own building one block over. The station was dedicated in February of 1995. In 1998, Chief Keen along with the town manager ordered a complete restructuring of the Clayton Police Department . The restructuring molded the police department into the structure it has today. This structure is outlined under the heading organizational structure.
In 1999, after having served as interim chief in 1977 and again in 1999, Gary Ragland was named Clayton’s Chief of Police. Chief Ragland saw Clayton through growth and drastic changes from 1999 to the 2005. Chief Ragland implemented several programs to Clayton to provide relief to high crime areas due to the drastic changes Clayton was and still is undergoing.
Today, Glen Allen holds the reigns as top cop for the Town of Clayton. He has 38 officers serving under his command. Chief Allen's goal is to consistently seek and find ways to affirmatively promote, preserve and deliver a feeling of security, safety and quality services to residents and visitors in the Town of Clayton.
- Information compiled by Clayton Police Officer Ryan Johnson