As Chief, William Louthan changed the Department to the tan uniform worn by the Arizona Highway Patrol. A straw cowboy hat with badge was worn in the winter, and a tan felt hat with badge was worn in winter and on formal occasions. Under the direction of Captain Ed Workman, a new patch was designed, nearly identical to the patch of today. While Louthan was Chief, he watched over the construction of Chandlers second Police/Court facility. Dedicated in March of 1970 as part of a new city complex, the new building was about eight times as large as the original. It housed the Police Department, City Magistrate Court, Chandler Justice of the Peace Court, and the City Council Chambers, which doubled as the courtroom for jury trials for both courts. Included in the Police Department was a new crime laboratory with the latest in equipment and a darkroom for in-house film development, a newly equipped communications room, and a 100-person capacity maximum-security jail, that was the most modern in the valley, if not the state.

For a short time in the early 1970’s, the Police and Fire Departments were combined under Louthan as "Director of Public Safety", and renamed the "Chandler Department of Public Safety". As part of the reorganization, some Firefighters were trained as Reserve Police Officers, and several Officers were cross-trained as Firefighters. Patrol units were equipped with basic firefighting equipment as well. The same patch arm patch was used, but modified with the new title, and worn by the members of the Fire Division. New badges were made, and were the same for Fire and Police personnel. They looked like a combination of the two styles, with red ribbon for Fire personnel, blue for Police, and white for some support personnel and officials. After a couple of years, the Police and Fire Departments were broken back out to their original configuration.

A growing controversy started in the mid 70’s resulting in the recall of the Mayor, and three City Council Members. Morale in the Police Department was dropping, and allegations of wiretapping, misappropriation of funds, and cover up attempts were investigated by the Attorney General's Office. In May of 1979, Chief Louthan was suspended with pay during the Attorney Generals investigation. Arizona Department of Public Safety Narcotics Division Captain Juan Martin Jr., was re-assigned to the Chandler Police Department to serve as the Acting Police Chief pending the outcome of the investigation. A short time later, William Louthan resigned as Chief.

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