[2] Prior to his appointment he had been a civilian with work experience as a railroad man and a real estate agent.

[3] One of his major innovations was a Flying Squad of bicycle-mounted officers, which greatly helped the undermanned department cover the already vast distances encompassed by the city of Los Angeles.

[4] When he resigned in 1904, the Los Angeles Evening Express stated that his service had been "handicapped by previous inexperience, unfitted by mental attributes, not his fault, his appointment at the outset was a mistake due entirely to a political coup of his predecessor's enemies".

[7] Elton was arrested in 1911 at which time the United Press reported that he had been charged with "forgery in connection with a land deal.

"[8] The Los Angeles Record summarized his career in 1924: "The regime of Charles Elton, appointee of Meredith P. Snyder, during the latter's first reign as mayor ushered in the century on about the same level that has in the main since been kept and struck the keynote of the tune to which save for occasional variations the city's police department has since kept then.