BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The city incorporated in 1914. The police came almost immediately after, and for the first few years the department was one man.
The first city marshal was Augustus Niestrum. His deputy, Jack Munson, used his own home as headquarters. The same house served the fire department too.
That arrangement lasted about eight years. Fire and police shared quarters until 1925, when the two were separated.
One marshal, then a department
The force grew in small steps. A year after it formed, the city added an officer. Two more joined in 1916.
When Munson retired in 1919, the new city marshal served as both fire and police chief.
On August 1, 1927, the Beverly Hills Police Department became a municipal organization. Charles Blair became its first chief of police.
Blair’s first roster was small and exact. One captain. Three lieutenants. Four sergeants. Four motor officers. Twenty-three patrolmen. Three clerks.
| BHPD at a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Agency | Beverly Hills Police Department |
| Marshal’s office | From 1914, after incorporation |
| Municipal department | August 1, 1927 |
| Headquarters | 464 North Rexford Drive |
| Sworn positions | 145 |
| Non-sworn, full-time | 95 |
| First chief | Charles Blair (1927–1942) |
| Current chief | Max Subin (2026–) |
| City area | 5.71 square miles |
A department moves with the city
The department moved into City Hall in 1932. It stayed there for nearly six decades.
In 1990 it moved to a purpose-built police facility on Rexford Drive. That building remains its headquarters today.
The city around it is small. Beverly Hills covers 5.71 square miles. Its daytime population and its profile run far larger than its resident count.
A city of five square miles draws traffic, tourists, and the occasional film crew. The department polices all of it.
Mayor of Beverly Hills
The force today
BHPD lists 145 sworn positions and 95 full-time non-sworn positions. That is a compact agency by the standards of Los Angeles County.
Its jurisdiction is a single city. Its workload is shaped by a downtown that empties and fills every day.
A small force also carries a long institutional memory. The line of chiefs runs back nearly a century.
Clinton H. Anderson led the department from 1942 to 1969. Marvin P. Iannone held the post from 1985 to 2003. David L. Snowden followed from 2004 to 2015.
Sandra Spagnoli served as chief from 2016 to 2020. Mark Stainbrook led from 2021 to 2026. In 2026, Max Subin took command.
The beat hides in plain sight
Beverly Hills is one of the most photographed small cities in America. Its police appear on screen almost as often as its streets do.
The department has been featured in the Beverly Hills Cop films and in the 1986 comedy Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
That visibility cuts both ways. A small force works a beat the whole country thinks it already knows.
What to watch
Two things will define the next few years for the department.
The first is staffing. A small city competes for officers against far larger agencies, and retention is a constant concern.
The second is the day-to-day. Traffic, retail theft, and event security in a compact downtown will keep shaping the workload.
Neither is unusual for a city this size. Both matter more when the whole country is watching.
Sources: Beverly Hills Police Department; City of Beverly Hills.