C.J. Laizure, the first to fill the police chief position in
Gilroy, died this morning at Saint Louise Hospital. He was 81.
C.J. Laizure, the first to fill the police chief position in Gilroy, died this morning at Saint Louise Hospital.
He was 81.
Family friend Dalene Obata said Laizure was surrounded by friends and family.
The Gilroy Police Department and other law enforcement officials volunteered their time to keep a 24-hour watch over Laizure, who served 20 years as chief from 1960 to 1980, since Friday when he was admitted to the hospital.
He was the first to fill the police chief position created by the new city charter in 1960, and he remained for 20 years. He personally wrote and typed the first Gilroy Police Department manual on an old typewriter that still sits in a closet at his home.
Professionalism in the department also improved when Laizure standardized officers’ uniforms and badges, which were purchased independently by officers until 1964.
His badge number? No. 1.
Laizure created the cadet program in 1961, which allowed the city to keep nighttime calls for service in Gilroy, instead of being transferred to San Jose for a lack of overnight staff. He published an article on the program later that year.
The GPD named its headquarters after Laizure in 2005.
His family is currently making funeral arrangements at Habing Family Funeral Home.
GPD Police Chief Denise Turner has talked to the family to plan a civic ceremony to honor Laizure.
Check back for updates to this story.
