Police against early Superman?

In 'The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told' collection, the second story (written in 1941) involves Superman's efforts to capture 'The Archer.' At one point in the story Superman is checking clues in some bushes when a group of policemen see him and yell 'It's Superman. Grab him!' Superman easily eludes them and mildly taunts them at the same time. My question is: was Superman originally protrayed as an unwanted vigilante as this scene suggests? I've been reading Superman comics for (good God!) 38 years but I've never read a story in which the police were after Superman as a matter of routine. If he was originally considered an interloper in police affairs, when was this idea dropped?

I don't know when the idea shifted, but I'm sure it was gradually over time, the same way his powers developed. I know that in the beginning, his methods were very similar to that of Batman. For instance, think back to before Superman could fly, and instead could only leap great distances. I remember a story where he was trying to get a thug to give him some information, so Supes grabbed him and kept jumping around building tops until the crook freaked out and told him what he wanted to know. It was only after his powers developed some more (flight, heat vision, etc.) that he became more like the 'boyscout' people consider him today.

Yes, Superman originally was considered a dangerous vigilante. In ACTION #8, for example, Superman demolishes the city's slums in order to force the government to replace them with 'modern cheap-rental apartments.' He's pursued by police and eventually by the National Guard, which does its level best to kill him with machine guns and bombs. In ACTION #9, the police chief brings in a famous Chicago detective to try to apprehend Superman. In ACTION #21 (February 1940) Superman once again battles the police and National Guard after the Ultra-Humanite forces him to steal some jewels. He breaks Lois Lane out of police custody after she's been falsely accused of murder in SUPERMAN #6, flying away in a hail of gunfire. Policemen attempt to arrest him on many occasions through 1941, and he still flees from police as late as April 1942 (ACTION #47).

By mid-1942 he apparently was no longer considered a fugitive and in SUPERMAN #20 (January-February 1943) a policeman says, 'To think we once considered him outside the law!' Unlike Batman, who was officially deputized by Commissioner Gordon in late 1941 (BATMAN #7), there was no specific textual reason given for Superman's new acceptance by the police and government, but thereafter, his honesty and legitimacy were rarely questioned.

Aaron did a good job of summarizing the timeframe. Most of the comic characters were considered outlaws in their early years, from Superman to Batman to Spider-man. This is sound plotting because keeping the character outside the law allows the sometimes exuberant interrogations.

It also makes senese because a new superhero can't very well go down to the police station and introduce himself, but on the other hand he won't remain an outlaw for long given the fact that he keeps catching the crooks for the cops.