The Wellfleet Police Department was organized in 1938 and was comprised of two full-time officers.  The town’s chairman of the board of selectmen served as the Chief of Police until 1947 when the first uniformed chief was appointed.  In 1978, the Town of Wellfleet voted power for the department from the selectmen to the Chief of Police and accepted Massachusetts Statute Chapter 41, Section 97A.

Since the founding of the department, there has been one Wellfleet Police Officer killed in the line of duty.  On Sunday, July 19^th 1931 Officer Charles D. Williams was directing traffic at the intersection of Main St. and Bank St. when he was struck by a delivery truck and killed.  Officer Williams served with the department for 6 years and was 34 years old at the time of his death.

Today, the Wellfleet Police Department is made up of 18 full-time officers, 1 animal control officer, and 5 civilian employees. A number of part-time officers help reduce the work load in the busy months of May-August when the population in Wellfleet swells from approximately 4,500 residents to a 25,000 + summer population.