The continued influx of people to the Town of West Palm Beach was due mainly to land acquisitions and construction of resort hotels by Henry Morrison Flagler. Flagler continued to develop areas to the south along the route of his railroad, leading to the rapid growth of areas such as Boynton Beach, Linton (later named Delray Beach), Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami.

The Marshall and his deputies continued as the law enforcement agents through the Charter of 1903, when the town was abolished and the City of West Palm Beach was born. West Palm Beach was within Dade County until 1909, when Palm Beach County was created and the city was declared the county seat.

In 1917, the West Palm Beach police force consisted of eight men headed by Town Marshall Frank H. Matthews. Members of the force were Charlie Hughes, Ernest N. Malphurs (Chief of Police, 1925), C.O. "Pete" Pierce, Charles P. Metcalf, Joe Padgett, (later Chief of Police in Boca Raton and father of George Padgett, who rose to the rank of Chief of Detectives), H. E. "Bert" Seaman, and Fred M. Brannon.

In 1919, the city council changed the position from Town Marshall to Police Chief and created the Police Department. Frank H. Matthews, the last Town Marshall, was elected the first Chief of Police that year, posing proudly for a portrait in his new police chief's hat.

Continue on: 1920's