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Title: Rick Sprain collection
Dates: 1850-2004
Collection number: 2009-091
Collector:
Sprain, Sergeant Rick
Collection Size:
26 cubic feet
Repository:
Santa Clara County Archives.
San Jose, CA 95112-2527
Abstract: This collection consists of materials pertaining both to the history of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office as well
as the general history of Santa Clara County. Items included are: crime reports, city directories, hundreds of original as
well as copied newspaper articles ranging from 1850-2004, Police Academy training materials and job listings, photographs
of sheriffs, historical information about past sheriffs, photographs of sheriff badges, maps of Santa Clara County, and many
other materials.
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult Archives staff.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Collection is open for research.
The Archives can claim physical ownership only for some collections. Users are responsible for securing permission of the
copyright holder for publication or quotation.
Rick Sprain collection, 2009-091, Santa Clara County Archives.
These records were donated by Sergeant Rick Sprain of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department in 2009 and 2010.
This collection was processed by Lisa Zakharova
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection contains materials pertaining to both the history of the County Sheriff's Office as well as the history of
the county in general. The collection contains physical objects such as safety flashers, Sheriff uniforms, large Sheriff s
office posters, and Sheriff's pins and placards. The collection has a large assortment of newspaper articles that are both
authentic and photocopied ranging from 1850 to 2004. These articles primarily focus on crime and the history of the Sheriff's
Office, though there are many articles about Santa Clara County in general. Large-sized topographic maps of Santa Clara and
Santa Cruz Counties are also included.
The collection also features an assortment of bound books containing primarily inventory and records. Examples of bound books
include: The Description Books of Santa Clara County Jail: 1921, 1926, and 1946, and San Jose City Directory- 1941 and 1963.
The collection has a very large number of materials pertaining to the laws, procedures, and history of the Sheriff's Office.
Examples include Seniority lists, lists of Sheriffs and Undersheriffs of Santa Clara County, Police Academy Training Materials
and job information flyers, County Sheriff's Election materials, Patrol Orders and historical essays written about the men
killed in duty, and the Sheriff's General Orders during different time periods (1956-1963, 1978, 1993).
The collection is arranged in 24 boxes with some items stored outside the boxes. Categories include: Series I: Sheriff's
Uniforms, Series II: Training Materials, Series III: Newspaper Articles and Historical Information, Series IV: Photographs,
Series V: Physical Materials, Series VI: Past Sheriffs, Series VII: Sheriff's Office Records, Series VIII: Magazines, Series
XI: Van Eps Papers, Series X: Large Materials.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Sheriffs California
Santa Clara County (Calif.) History
Crime--California--Santa Clara County
Drug abuse and crime California
Vocational Instructional Materials (Organization)
Law - Political aspects