Overview of the Collection
Court History
Scope and Contents
Access Terms
Important Information for Users of the Collection
Overview of the Collection
Collection Title: Petaluma Police Court records,
Date (inclusive): 1912-1952
Identification: SCG.00020
Creator:
Petaluma (Calif.). Police Court
Physical Description:
17 volumes
Language of Materials:
English
Repository:
Sonoma County Library Archives
c/o Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library, Sonoma County Library
725 Third Street
Santa Rosa, CA,
Abstract: This collection contains records pertaining to the operations of the Petaluma Police Court, including lists of jurors
Court History
Biography/Organization History
The Petaluma Police Court was a municipal-level court that handled minor offenses, as well as initial handling of serious
offenses that were subsequently referred to the Superior Court. The Petaluma Police Court was reorganized in 1952 as part
of the State of California's inferior court reorganization program authorized by the voters as California Proposition 3 in
1950, which combined the offices of the township justices of the peace and city police court judges; the Petaluma Police Court
and other, local municipal courts were combined as the Petaluma Judicial District Court or more formally, the State of California's
Municipal Court for the Petaluma Judicial District) on Jan. 1, 1952.
A number of other reorganizations and consolidations of the County's District Courts took place over the next four decades
until the District Courts and other inferior courts were absorbed into the Superior Court following another voter-authorized
reorganization in 1998, California Proposition 220.
Scope and Contents
Dockets heard in the Petaluma Police Court .
Arrangement of the collection
Organized into two series:
- Police court docket, 1912-1951
- Police court docket--civil, 1918-1952
Access Terms
This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Corporate Names
Petaluma (Calif.). Police Court
Topical Terms
Civil procedure--California--Petaluma
Criminal justice, Administration of--California--Petaluma
Genre and Format Terms
Criminal court records
Judicial records
Municipal government records
State government records
Archival materials
Important Information for Users of the Collection
Conditions Governing Access:
Materials stored offsite, but collection is open to research. In many cases, further details on individual volumes can be
found by calling staff at the Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library. To view these materials, please call staff at
707 308-3212 to request they be brought from the Archives to the Library
Conditions of Use
Collection does not circulate and may be photocopied or photographed by arrangement only.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the Sonoma County Library. The Sonoma County Library has made this collection available and believes
that the collection is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its
copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Collection may not be in the Public Domain under the laws
of other countries. Preferred credit line is: Courtesy, the Sonoma County Library. Please see additional reproduction and
reuse information at
https://sonomalibrary.org/locations/sonoma-county-history-and-genealogy-library/order-photo
Preferred Citation:
Petaluma Police Court records, 1912-1952. SCG.00020, Sonoma County Archives, Sonoma County Library, Rohnert Park, California.
