City and County of San Francisco Sheriff's Department Records, 1889-2012, bulk 1889-1942, 1956-2012

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Summary

Title:
City and County of San Francisco Sheriff's Department Records
Dates:
1889-2012, bulk 1889-1942, 1956-2012
Creators:
San Francisco (Calif.). Sheriff's Department and Hennessey, Michael, Sheriff
Abstract:
Founded in 1850, the City and County of San Francisco Sheriff Department's (SFSD) primary function is to operate the system of county jails. The SFSD also provides security and law enforcement in several locations in the city. From 1850-1890 the Sheriff Department also oversaw executions in San Francisco.
Extent:
30 boxes. 17 cartons, 1 mss, 8 OV flat boxes, 4 OV bully boxes. (30 Cubic Feet)
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], City and County of San Francisco Sheriff's Department Records (SFH 79), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection is broken into two sections by date. Early materials include jail records from the late 19th and early 20th century, registers and discharge lists of prisoners, and financial records. Later jail records include reports of escapes from 1956-1981 and assaults from 1974-1981. The second portion includes materials dating to Sheriff Michael Hennessey's terms in office (the longest tenured sheriff in San Francisco history, 1980-2012) including publicity; reports and articles collected by Hennessey; research files he collected while researching the history of the Sheriff's Department, office papers, audio visual and graphic materials in various formats.

The collection also includes photographs including the Garden Project: a program which rehabilitated prisoners by training them to garden. The collection is strong in the late 19th early 20th century and 1956-2012, but does not have materials from 1942-1956. The collection is also significant for its records of the Mission Rebels – a community organization active from 1966-1968 – which focused on at-risk youth in the Mission.

Biographical / historical:

Founded in 1850, the City and County of San Francisco Sheriff Department's (SFSD) primary function is to operate the system of county jails where there is an average population of 2,200 inmates (as of 2016), and a number of individuals on supervised release programs.

The SFSD also provides security and law enforcement in the following locations in San Francisco: the civil and criminal courts, City Hall, the Public Library, the Emergency Communications and Dispatch Center, San Francisco General Hospital, Laguna Honda Hospital, and several public health clinics.

The SFSD is a separate organization from the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). However, SFSD deputies and SFPD officers have all attended a Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) mandated police academy, and are duly sworn California peace officers.

From 1850-2016, 34 elected Sheriffs have served the city. John Coffee Hays (1850) served as the first sheriff and as of 2019, Vicki Hennessy serves as the first women sheriff. From 1850-1890 the Sheriff Department also oversaw executions in San Francisco. In 1891 legislation removed that duty to the state level.

Custodial history:

The collection was obtained through two aquisitions. The first - containing materials about the jail from the late 19th and early 20th centry - has an unknown provenance. The second aquisition came from Sheriff Michael Hennessey in 2011 and 2012.

Processing information:

During processing, parts of the collection were re-foldered and re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes. Some metal staples remain.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in 8 series: Series 1: Annual Reports, Series 2: County Jail, Series 3: Mission Rebels, Series 4: Publicity, Series 5: Reports/ Articles, Series 6: Research Files, Series 7: Office Papers, Series 8: Audio Visual and Graphic Materials. Some series furthur divided into Sub-Series.

Physical location:
Open for research. The collection is offsite and advance notice is required for retrieval. Material must be requested at least 4 business days in advance of visit.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid compiled by Katherine Ets-Hokin.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-04-26 20:50:03 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research and available for use during San Francisco History Center hours. Photographs are available during Photo Desk hours. This collection must be requested at least 4 business days in advance of visit.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], City and County of San Francisco Sheriff's Department Records (SFH 79), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

Location of this collection:
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102, US
Contact:
(415) 557-4567
sfhistory@sfpl.org
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