The department was founded in 1816, when town marshals patrolled the city streets. In 1860, the marshals began operating out of the Central Market, sharing offices with city officials. In April 1873, the city organized the Metropolitan Police. Its first captain, Alexis Keeler, served for one year, and oversaw 19 night officers and six day officers. In 1879, the department opened its second headquarters, a station at the Columbus City Prison. The department and prisoners moved to the city workhouse in Franklinton in 1920. This building was severely damaged by a tornado in May 1929. Walls fell on 162 jail cells, killing two prisoners. In 1930, the department opened the Central Police Station, a new larger building, still extant. Finding the space too small by the 1990s, the department opened the current Columbus Division of Police Headquarters in 1991.https://infoweb-newsbank-com.webproxy3.columbuslibrary.org/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=favorite%3ACOLUMBUS%21Columbus%2520Dispatch%2520Historical%2520and%2520Current&sort=_rank_%3AD&page=1&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=police%20headquarters&docref=news/10E0D8A10F265F48
