August Vollmer

About

The initial Chief of Police in the city of Berkeley, California. He filled the position in the first two decades of the twentieth century and later headed the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Before Fame

He helped to establish the Berkeley Volunteer Fire Department.

Trivia

Suffering from both cancer and Parkinson's disease, he committed suicide at the age of seventy-nine.

Family Life

The son of German parents, he grew up in Louisiana, Germany, and California.

Associated With

He appeared in a silent film series called Officer 444; the work was directed by Francis Ford, the actor brother of John Ford.