Giles Taylor

A brief History of the department.

I’ve been trying to get this list of chiefs together for about five years. Records have either been lost or didn’t exist. So I reached out to several people to help verify the order of the Chiefs. And this is what we arrived at as a group.

• Hillary “Jim Bat” Johnson
• Bill Overstreet
• J.V. McKinney
• Gene Hawkins
• Rudolf Colburn
• Ronald “Ronnie” Burden
• Billy Joe Phelps
• Charles Sweeney
• Giles D. Taylor

Incorporated in 1813 Morgantown relied on town marshals to keep the peace for the first 145 years.

The most famous of which is John Smith.

Marshal Smith got a boost of fame when he got into a gunfight in 1938 with some twins. Apparently in the middle of town and all three of them got shot. The story got picked up by the associated press and was reported as far away as Cincinnati.

By the time I came along just a kid. John Smith was already legend. I remember several stories of gunfights,and a few from people that knew him and spoke of him with great regard.

He was our Matt Dillan.

In 1956 the City of Morgantown created their first municipal police force. The man they picked to lead it was Hillary “Jim Bat” Johnson. The first Chief of Police.Everybody just called him Jim Bat.

I was fortunate growing up here I knew these men. I remember when I was little I got caught chunking rocks at cars,and my mother dragged me in there to see Jim Bat so he could scare the hell out of me,and he did. I also remember crossing the bridge in the back seat of a car I think we were going to my step grandfathers Chesley Daugherty’s for Christmas. Anyway I looked out and saw Jim Bat and Freeman Staples holding some guy by the ankles off the Green River Bridge.

Well let me tell you that made an impression on me. Years later when I first started here in Morgantown as a green patrolman. I asked him about that guy on the bridge. He thought a minute,and started to grin. I could see him remember it. He just turned looked at me smiled and said “We was giving him the talk”. And that’s all I ever got out of him.

He was funny like that.

I remember him pulling me aside to pass on some kernel of knowledge like this one “Son don’t ever lie, unless you just feel like you have to”. He was loved by the community, a good man. He told me that when the department first formed they didn’t get paid. He said they used the change from the parking meters to operate.

He was gruff, loud, and funny. There was always a great kindness in him. I’m glad I knew him. (Unit 116 badge number retired)

Number 2 was Bill Overstreet. I did not know Bill,but I heard the stories.

Like John Smith, Jim Bat and Bill Overstreet had become legend.

Number 3 was John Virgil “J.V.“ Mckinny. He was later elected sheriff and also served on the City Council. That shows how highly he was thought of.

Number. 4

Gene Hawkins. Gene was also elected Sheriff. I only have one memory of Gene and he was sheriff then. He caught us drag racing on the dexterville stretch. We thought it would be funny ,cause there was about 6 of us piled in this huge boat of a car. Gene walked up and I figured we were all going to the penitentiary. He looked in there at us and told the fella driving to go on home, cause we didn’t have anything that would run anyway.

Number.5 was a man named Rudolf Colburn . I never knew much about him, but that was because he spent 20 years working for the Louisville Police Department and retired before becoming Chief in Morgantown.

Number.6 was William Ronald “Ronnie” Burden. Ronnie took over when Chief Colburn had a stroke. As Number 6 he went on to be the longest serving Chief in City history. 20 years a record unlikely to be broken. He was the first Chief from Morgantown to attend the police academy in Richmond Kentucky where he became certified. I remember all kinds of Ronnie stories cause he was my first Chief. I drove him crazy, when I got back from the academy I was all fired up writing full reports on everything that would happen. If it was a cat up a tree I did a report on it which was causing a huge pile of paperwork for Ronnie. I remember one day he looked at me and said can you not just write this shit on a napkin. I called him Big Daddy,and he called me little pup.

He was a good honorable man, and he was my friend. (unit 111 badge number retired)

Number 7 is Billy Jo Phelps. Bill has several distinctions. He was the first career officer of the city, and the first to be elected Mayor (Unit number 117 badge retired). As of now 2024 he is the current sitting Mayor. (More in the mayors section)

Number 8 is Charles “Charlie” Sweeney. I didn’t know Charlie on a personal level but I was familiar with him on a professional level. I have heard him spoken of fondly.

And then there’s me Number 9

Giles Taylor. I selected badge number 109 for that reason. As for what becomes of me? It remains to be seen for my story is still being written.

I mentioned I talked to a few people about what they could remember. Those people are, Linda Phelps, Pat Lawerence, Tammy Burden Alford, Craig Hankins Bruce white, John Embry,Woody Allen, Laymon Johnson by way of Brad Johnson, and probable some I’ve forgot. So I’m sorry if I did.

There is so much that could be said about each one of these people and it should be. But that’s a different story for another time.

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