San Francisco Police Department Records, 1870-1983 (bulk 1888 - 1969)San Francisco Police Department Records, 1870-1983 (bulk 1888 - 1969)

Records of the Board of Police Commissioners; the Office of the Chief of Police and subsidiary bureaus and units, including the Bureau of Identification, the Bureau of Inspectors (aka Detective Bureau), Photographs Bureau, and Patrol Bureau; and a few scrapbooks whose originating office or bureau is unknown. Many bureaus are not represented in the collection. Formats are mostly oversized record books, scrapbooks, and photographic materials. Strengths of the collection include: Board of Commissioners minutes and correspondence; Bureau of Identification mug books; Bureau of Inspectors wanted circulars and crime clippings scrapbooks; and Photographs Bureau negatives of crime scenes and traffic accidents. Also notable is a partial series of scrapbooks kept by forensics and handwriting expert, Theodore Kytka. There are smaller amounts of correspondence of the Chief of Police, police officer records, and license and permit applications. Significant events and topics include: the 1930s SFPD graft trials; vice; the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings and demonstrations of May 1960; civil rights demonstrations of the 1960s; and the San Francisco State University Strike of 1968-1969.