Seidler (Paul) Papers, 1962-1987

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Scope and content:: The Paul Seidler papers document his eight years as San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Liaison to the lesbian and gay community, from 1980 to May 1987. The collection contains Seidler’s working files and his original order and folder titles have been maintained. There is significant overlap between cartons, as each one was (mostly) arranged in alphabetical order by subject and subjects repeat throughout. The bulk of the papers concern the SFPD’s Gay and Lesbian Community Awareness Training Program and include training materials for police cadets and Field Training Officers, facilitator evaluations, surveys of recruits’ attitudes toward lesbians and gays and materials related to the production of an SFPD training film about the gay community. Other SFPD materials include annual reports, correspondence to Seidler, handbooks, memos, incident reports, meeting minutes, newsclippings, Seidler’s notes, personnel materials, and statistics. Seidler also compiled subject files related to his police work and community service. Prominent topics and organizations include community-police relations, the National Association of Police Community Relations Officers and AIDS. These subject files contain a wide variety of materials, including certificates and awards, correspondence, conference materials, newsclippings, organizational records, photographs, and publications.
Acquisition information:: Gift of Paul Seidler on October 27, 1990.

Collection Guide Author:: Finding aid created by GLBT Historical Society staff.
Date Prepared:: 1962-1987
Date Encoded:: This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:54 p.m.

Access and use

Restrictions:: Collection is open for research, though restrictions to certain materials may apply. Please contact the archivist regarding access to the collection.

Location of this collection:: GLBT Historical Society

989 Market Street, Lower Level

San Francisco, CA 94103, US