The Taunton Police Department was established in January 1865 when Taunton officially transformed from a Town to a City. At the time, the position of City Marshal was a mayoral appointment. Mayor Edmund Bennett appointed Robert Crossman 2nd as the City’s first Marshal, and Marshal Crossman took the oath of office on January 25, 1865. Marshal Crossman served as the only officer of the department until February 1, 1865, when Willis Potter, Edgar S. Thayer, George W. Plummer, Benjamin F. Simmons and Gershom E. Round took the oath of office for the position of Assistant Marshals. The first recorded arrests for the police department occurred on Friday, February 3, 1865, when George Scofield was arrested for violation of the liquor laws and Sarah J. Taylor was arrested for drunkenness.