Law Enforcement

Herald Citizen August 28, 1930

The recent election meant there were some new faces around the Putnam Courthousethis week. Will H. Wall, the county trustee, was succeeded by Charles L. Verble. Wall has handled thecounty's funds "so that not a dollar was lost," the newspaper notes. Haskel Grogan is being succeeded byStant Elrod as register of deeds, and Haskell Nabors is being succeeded by Isham Rodgers as Circuit CourtClerk.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Marion Warren is turning over his office to Hubert Crawford, a well-known veteran of the World War. Algood Moore, the County Court Clerk and a veteran of several elections, wonre-election recently and began a new term as well this week

Hubert ran for and was elected to the office of Sheriff of Putnam County in 1939 and served a two year term. He ran again in 1938 and was defeated.

Hubert served as Chief of Police of Cookeville from about 1949 for about 11 years.

The below story appeared in a national trucking magazine sometime about 1954.

In the picture below Hubert is standing beside his patrol car.

This is a picture of the Cookeville Police Department under the leadership of Chief Hubert Crawford who is in the middle of the picture.

This is a classic picture taken between 1956 and 1958 when Sam Denton Poteet (on the right) was Sherrif of Putnam County. Others in the picture are Cookeville Chief of Police Hubert Crawford on the left, next Jeff Wall (a noted fox hunter and the likely owner of the dogs), Cookeville Police Officer L. A. Higginbotham, and Cookeville Mayor Dero Brown.

With all the law enforcement men in this picture, one might think this is a posse preparing to track a criminal. However, it also could be just friends admiring Jeff Wall's fox hounds.

In the picture below, Police Chief Hubert Crawford and Office Jame Copeland pose for a newspaper story requesting Cookeville drivers slow down in School Zones.

Herald Citizen Newspaper (March 10, 1951)

Cookeville is featured in the weekly "What’s Happening" segment on Nashville radio station WLAC. Show host F. C. Sowell told about Cookeville Police Chief Hubert Crawford’s"employment bureau."

Crawford recently ran a notice in the newspaper urging people with odd jobs to call the police department.

Crawford explained, "Not a day passes that somebody doesn’t come by the station looking for work."

Crawford wanted to match up job-seekers with jobs.

Sowell commended, "I thought the average American quit looking for work on the day the federal government established the WPA program."

He noted that Crawford has had a good response. So far this week he’s gotten 15 to 20 calls from people with odd jobs.

Hearal Citizen Newspaper (1953)

Lost a keyring or some other item? Police Chief Hubert Crawford reminded readers this week that the city police station is a good plane to come looking. It’s were people bring found items.

For instance, this week the station has several sets of keyrings, a pair of eyeglasses and a bird dog. It’s a white pointer.

Herald Citizen Newspaper (September 24, 1953)

Police Chief Hubert Crawford is handling out special ID cards to every students as he or she enrolls at Tennessee Tech this year. The cards, says Crawford, will be useful in the event that the student is injured or involved in other "unfortunate situations" that many college students sometimes find themselves in.

The card identifies the bearer as a TTU student and states: "Any courtesy extended the holder of this card will be greatly appreciated and will be repaid by us if possible. In case of accident, notify us. If appearance bond should ever become necessary, please call us. Cookeville is 100% for Tennessee Tech."

Herald Citizen Newspaper (December 3, 1953)

Police Chief Hubert Crawford was called to the scene when a deaf, mute man asking for handouts created a disturbance on Westside when he failed to get what he asked for.

Crawford said the man was carrying cards which read: "I am deaf and dumb and will appreciate your help." In his pocket was more than $500 in bills. The chief’s investigation around town revealed that the man had been staying in the city’s best hotel and that he’d been dining there too. He even drove up in a nice car, merchants reported.

The man, speaking to the chief in writing, confessed that he was working for his "boss" in Knoxville, a man who’d given him the cards and the car and told him ask for handouts all over the state. The boss got 70 percent of whatever the man was given.

Chief Crawford gave the man an escort to the city limits.

Herald Citizen Newspaper (August 5, 1954)

Cookeville has been named "The Nicest Town in the USA" in the July issue of Tennessee Progress magazine, a publication of the Tennessee Motor Transport Association.

Cookeville is known as being unusually courteous to overnight truckers, the magazine notes.

Mayor Dero Brown and Police Chief Hubert Crawford encourage them to nap with their trucks parked on the Square at night for safety. Crawford is shown waking up drivers the next morning.

Herald Citizen Newspaper (October 28, 1954)

Also this week, Cookeville Police Chief Hubert Crawford says his men found a way to boost city revenue using bootleggers' goods. Crawford and his men took the contents of two loads of bootleg whiskey to Nashville and sold it. They brought back $3,200.

Herald Citizen Newspaper (December 11, 1955)

If you drove to the Cookeville Post Office on Broad (the city’s only post office) this week you noticed a few changes when you went to feed the parking meter.

First of all, you probably found it easier to find a place to park. The time limit has been changed from two hours to 15 minutes. Police Chief Hubert Crawford said some people have been monopolizing the two hour time limit and others have been complaining.

Enforcing the new time limits are new parking meters. They’re red like all the other 15-minute meters in town, said Crawford. And they only "eat" a penny at a time.

Herald Citizen Newspaper (December 15, 1955)

Cookeville Police Chief Hubert Crawford says motorists are monopolizing the heavily-used parking spaces in front of the Cookeville Post Office, so the city is installing new parking meters there to control the situation.

You can’t miss them, the chief says. The parking meters will be bright red. And the time limit on each is 12 minutes. The cost to turn the switch is a penny.

Herald Citizen Newspaper (January 19, 1956)

Cookeville Police Chief Hubert Crawford issued an appeal this week for living quarters for Tennessee Tech students. There just aren’t enough apartments and rooms available for them all, he said. Anyone with two and three-room apartments, or quarters of any kind, is urged to contact him or authorities over at the college.

Herald Citizen Newspaper (June 21, 1956)

Cookeville is jam-packed with visitors here for the annual Cumberland Presbyterian General Assembly and Missions Conference.

All restaurants are overflowing, hotel rooms and boarding quarters are long gone, and several private homes are hosting delegates.

Meanwhile, the streets for blocks around the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and First Methodist here -- the sites of meetings and sessions for the conference -- are lined with cars. Police Chief Hubert Crawford asks all motorists not involved with the conference to park elsewhere and to avoid the congested area if possible.

Herald Citizen Newspaper (August 9, 1956)

Hubert Crawford, president of the newly-created Fraternal Order of Police unit here, says officers have elected to call the new chapter the Cordell Hull lodge in honor of the region's famous statesman and former Secretary of State.

Other officers in the new organization are THP Lt. Odell Huddleston of Cookeville, treasurer, and THP trooper William Malone, vice president.

Herald Citizen Newspaper (January 14, 1958)

Police Chief Hubert Crawford this week reported a rash of crime here in recent days.

Several cars have been taken and a spate of home burglaries are being investigated.

He says it’s the work of a gang of teenagers. One has been caught and has confessed. But the youth has refused to identify the others involved. So, the chief says the city’s 10 p.m. curfew will be enforced with particular vigor in the coming nights.

Chief Crawford adds that people who want to report crime can now use the police department’s new number. It’s 200. There is now someone on duty around the clock to answer the phone, he says.