Two Policemen Put on Duty in Fourth Ward

According to an announcement given out by the president’s office today two policemen will be on duty in the Fourth ward from now on. One is provided by the city and the other by the college. This action is the result of recent cases of slugging and attempted robbies.

Iowa State Student, “Two Policemen Put on Duty in Fourth Ward” from 5 Jan 1915

This is the first evidence I’ve found of a regular police presence in West Ames – most commonly called the Fourth Ward for its first few decades. By 1915, the Campustown and West Gate neighborhoods were booming in size – growing faster than downtown/east Ames – and there had been complaints about a lack of a regular police (and fire) protection for at least 10 years. From searching Special Collections over the years, I know a security presence of some sort was debated several times in the 1900s.