The 1913 Civic Report highlights not only day to day life in the SDPD but also many of the challenges it faces if it is to
succeed in the future.
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The badge gallery showcases more than 100 years of badges of San Diego city law enforcement. An excellent resource guide for both collectors and interested parties.
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The 1958 badge roster provides an interesting look at who held what badge and rank in 1958.
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The December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor forever changed the world. See how it went down in San Diego.
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The document that started it all: Mayor Gunn's May 15, 1889, letter informing Joseph A. Coyne he's just been selected as SDPD's first chief.
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Museum archives hold the oath documents for every SDPD officer hired from may 1889 until the 1920's. This example, of Officer Frank Northern, is typical for the era.
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The end of WWII saw a hiring binge in the SDPD. This 1946 announcement details what the department was looking for to replentish the ranks depleted by the draft and four years of war.
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The 1912 delivery of the Gamewell system of callboxes and a connected switchboard represented a giant step
forward in police communications.
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President John F. Kennedy came to San Diego on June 6, 1963. See how SDPD handled it.
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The FLASH was a Pre WWII internal newsletter. This 1941 edition is as timely now as it was then.
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A 1956 San Diego Police Department beat map illustrates just how much the city has grown over the decades. The community of San Ysidro did not become part of San Diego until 1957.
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A crude hand drawing explains the internal operations of the SDPD in 1916. While many of the ranks and operations are obsolete, a number are still in place today.
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Financial compensation is important in any profession. To see what pre WWII officers made, a 20 year pay scale was created.
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In 1932 SDPD's first radio dispatcher, Herbert Holcomb, jotted down the radio codes for the new police radio station, KGZD.
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The 1958 SDPD recruiting poster not only shows what the department was seeking in its officers but also what it was willing to pay to get them.
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In a simpler time police reports could be done on one page. In this case, one half page.
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A 1997 pay chart for SDPD sworn
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A simple post card, sent by the Sheriff of Riverside County in 1888.
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