Since its discovery on September 28, 1542, San Diego has seen its share of law enforcement. From 1542 until the arrival of the Spanish in 1769, tribal elders dispensed law enforcement through tribal custom. For serious offenses the victim’s families determined justice, often death by arrows.

On July 17, 1769, Franciscan Friar Junipero Serra established the first Mission in California - San Diego was officially founded. Under Father Serra, village law enforcement was simple. All unmarried citizens were locked in their barracks at night to avoid the temptation of sin. For troublemakers, flogging and time in the stockade was the standard punishment.

In 1821, leadership changed from the Spain to Mexico and Emperor Agustin I. It took a year for the news to arrive, but on April 20, 1822, the Mexican flag was raised over San Diego.

The village continued to grow under Mexican rule and by 1829 there were 30 houses outside the Mission. On January 1, 1836, San Diego was recognized as a town and given the official name of “El Puebla De San Diego De Acala.” Because of its desolate location and lack of water, by 1838 the population had decreased to a point where the town was stripped of its Puebla status and designated an outward suburb of its larger sister city to the north, El Pueblo De Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles. Despite the small population, San Diego was starting to become a town in serious need of a police force and civility.

San Diego in 1838 was very different from today. Truly a frontier town, duels, fights and murders were common as soldiers battled drifters who battled anyone else. After several months of witnessing the lawlessness, 26-year-old Antonio Gonzales rounded up eight vigilantes, formed a small police force and appointed himself chief. The force was informal, loosely organized and unpaid. As was the custom around the west coast of what is now the United States, the lawmen wore no uniforms or badges.

Antonio Gonzales and his men kept the peace until 1845 when the US Army took over. Now an American territory, the soldiers dealt with crime swiftly by hanging or shooting most troublemakers.

On March 27, 1850, a county charter was passed and Sidney Livingston was appointed City Marshal of San Diego. Two months later he was released from his duties when the City of San Diego was officially incorporated. The incorporation established San Diego to be governed by Common Council and General Joshua Bean was elected as the first Mayor. Along with five council members, it would be up to Bean to make something of the dusty little American town. At the same time, a Hungarian count by the name of Agoston Haraszathy, (occasionally spelled Herazthy, even by Agoston himself) was elected not only as County Sheriff, but also as Tax Collector and City Marshal. As the council saw it, the Marshal was to collect taxes, issue gambling permits, serve as a social worker, and round up stray animals. The council also allowed the Marshal to earn extra money by digging graves. If there was time, he was also expected to enforce the law.

As Marshal, Haraszathy appointed Richard Freeman as his deputy, the first Black lawman in California. In the summer of 1850, Marshal Haraszathy began construction of a $5,000 jail at what is now 2300 Congress Street. His first attempt was so poorly constructed the mud brick and straw facility melted in a heavy rain. Another $2000 was put into the project but the rebuilt jail was no better than the first. Within hours of being arrested, the first inmate (and coincidently, the Mayor’s brother), 25-year-old Roy Bean escaped by digging through the walls with a pocketknife. Roy Bean would be the only inmate the jail would ever hold. Decades later, Bean would establish himself in Langford, Texas as the “Law West of the Pecos” when he set up a courthouse that doubled as a liquor store and casino.

Agoston Haraszathy didn’t have much better luck at collecting taxes when he started a war with Indians in Mission Valley. The war was ended when the U.S. Army declared martial law and slaughtered most of the Indians. It was during the Indian War that Deputy Marshal Freeman was killed in the line of duty.

Agoston Haraszathy wasn’t in town to see the end of the war. He left to serve in the California State Assembly and was later Assayer of the first U.S. Mint on the west coast. He also founded the California wine industry.

As a result of the jail debacle, the city went bankrupt and on January 30, 1852, the State of California quickly came in and repealed the city charter, effectively causing the city to cease to exist. It would be 10 years before San Diego would appoint another City Marshal.

With all city services officially suspended, the quality of life quickly began to suffer. A grand jury report of April 1852 reported the streets filled with garbage and human waste. Dead animals were lying in the streets and a foul stench filled the air. The New York Times was even more colorful in their description. They referred to the city as “a flea infested cesspool and the most godforsaken rathole on Earth.”

With Marshals no longer policing the town, and the Sheriff not enforcing the law within the city limits, crime quickly returned to the streets. To make matters worse for San Diegans, to the north in Los Angeles the city formed a 100-member police force known as the Rangers.

Oddly enough, but typical of the Old West, Roy Bean the fugitive from San Diego, was now “Roy Bean Los Angeles Ranger.” As a Ranger, Bean dealt with the same things going on in San Diego, murder, robbery and mayhem, only on a much larger scale. In one 24-hour period, Los Angeles, a city of less than 1600 people, had 18 murders. They ended 1853 with 415 killings, an incredible statistic by even today’s standards. Since the goal of the Rangers was to eliminate crime, not reform those doing it, some of the desperados not killed in the fighting were chased south and wound up in San Diego. Within a few years of the bankruptcy San Diego was starting to look like 1838 all over again, only this time with a lot more people involved. Decent citizens hid in their homes as gangs of thugs armed with pistols and Bowie knives walked the streets.

Law and order began a small step towards a comeback when, in 1861, the county authorized the building of a 6 foot by 9 foot iron cage to serve as a jail in back of City Hall. Since there was no bed in the cage, nor was there a limit to the amount of people the cage would house, inmates were forced to sleep on the floor, or when it was crowded, standing up.

By 1862 the financial state of San Diego had improved to the point where a Marshal could be appointed and law enforcement within the city could begin to be re-established.

For the next 17 years Marshals would be at the beck and call of city officials who made his top priority tax collection and building of roads. To keep the peace, an ordinance was passed barring Mexicans and Indians from coming within a half mile of the city limits.

By 1879 the population of the city was 2000 people. The job of Marshal was not a paid position and much to no ones surprise there were no applicants for the job. Instead of changing the working conditions, the city abolished the position entirely. From 1879 until 1885 the San Diego Sheriff handled city law enforcement.

By 1885 the population of the city was 25,000 and the city averaged almost a murder a day. To deal with the violence, the City Marshal was re-established with 25 men who worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week and had no formal training. Despite wearing shiny seven point stars on their chests that read “San Diego Police” the men were nothing more than armed tax collectors.

When the men did try and enforce the law, they often wound up incurring the wrath of citizens and business owners with other interests. One saloon owner, Wyatt Earp, told Deputy Marshal Campbell, “You’ll be stepping in your coffin next time you come in my saloon.”

By 1889 the population of San Diego was now more than 40,000 and crime was everywhere. Legitimate businesses operated right next to opium dens and whorehouses 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People began carried guns openly and Marshals were nowhere to be found. The new, bawdy district was quickly named the Stingaree and with theft, murder, fights and robberies, it gave San Diego all the characteristics of an out of control circus, not a civilized city. A letter in the San Diego Union that year read, “I would rather live in peace and security in the fitful climate of the east than to have a bullet accidentally lodged in my body when walking out to enjoy the balmy air of San Diego.” Obviously the city had yet to become the tourist resort it is today.

The answer to the problem would come in the form of a new city charter with a municipal police department, who’s officers first and foremost job was fighting crime. With town lawmen were now officially police officers, the job of collecting taxes, rounding up stray animals and building bridges would be the duties of someone else.

The requirements to be a San Diego police officer in 1889 were fairly simple. Applicants had to live in the city, be at least 5-9 and 150 pounds, be of good moral character and be a white male. Of the 12 officers hired for the new San Diego Police Department, 8 were Republicans and 4 were Democrats.

In addition to the creation of the police department, the new charter expanded the city from 12 to 76 square miles and created a five-member police commission who would make appointments of new police officers based on merit.

The first San Diego police station was located in City Hall over the fire department’s Engine Company One. The new officers took to the streets at 7 am on June 1st, and worked 7 days a week 12 hours a day. The first day off wouldn’t be given until 1891.

The officers were assigned walking beats in Downtown, Golden Hill, Old Town and Coronado. The starting salary for the new officers was $80.00 per month. It’s interesting to note that by 1937, some 48 years later, officers were only making $120.00 per month. Officers were required to purchase their own uniforms at a cost of $42.50 and they were required to be worn at all times when in public, on or off duty.

Of the previous marshal’s, three were hired as SDPD officers. Another former Deputy Marshal, Jose Cota, would be hired as the department’s first Hispanic officer one year later.

Despite the relationship with the City Marshals of old, these new officers did something different when it came to law enforcement. Armed with new powers and a single purpose, they actually enforced the law. Within months the San Diego Union was praising the work of the officers and even went so far as to say how professional the new department was. The new look of the officers had the newspaper commenting, “People are going out of their way to get arrested just to be seen with these fine officers.”

By the end of 1889 the officers had regained control of the city but long hours and other working conditions were beginning to take its toll. Out of the 12 officers originally hired in May, five had already resigned.

Staffing of the police department would rise and fall based upon the economic conditions of the city and from day one San Diego would find itself with one of the smallest police departments when compared to the population ratio.

In 1899 Edward “Ned” Bushyhead was appointed as San Diego’s sixth police chief. What made the appointment interesting was that Bushyhead was a Cherokee Indian and there was a state law prohibiting minorities from testifying against whites in a court of law.

In 1913-1914, labor riots were so out of control that all of the jails in the county were filled with protestors. In response to the unrest San Diego police officers found themselves working 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. The pressure was so great ¼ of the department resigned in frustration.

By 1917 the department was diversified and now employed Blacks, women and Chinese as police officers. Ironically at the time women weren’t even allowed to vote in America yet they were investigating cases and carrying badges that read “policewoman.” The SDPD Identification Bureau was one of the first to use fingerprinting as a form of identification. 1917 also saw the office of Chief of Police filled five times. The reason was a continuing struggle between City Hall and the SDPD over who would control the city’s police officers.

By 1923 cars began to become a part of the police department although officers were required to buy their own. As a result, many officers opted to work on the cheaper but more dangerous motorcycle squad.

On January 12, 1927, San Diego experienced its first major police shootout when a deranged man bust into a house at 1800 Fort Stockton Drive and shot several people inside. After peppering the house with machinegun fire and teargas, the gunman was killed and the siege ended.

As San Diego dealt with smuggling issues brought on by Prohibition, the city experienced its first machine gun murder but it wasn’t related to the east coast crime syndicate. The May 20, 1929, case was simple robbery of two couriers from the Aqua Caliente racetrack in Tijuana. An exhaustive investigation led to the arrest of two suspects in Los Angeles however the $80,000 that was stolen was never recovered.

The next challenge to face the department was the Great Depression. Faced with a budget so tight that 20% of the department faced layoffs, the officers still found ways to get new uniforms, badges and equipment, build a pistol range and buy new cars. They also voted themselves a pay cut so none of their coworkers would be laid off.

In 1932 the department introduced a communications system. The system consisted of five cars equipped with one-way radios operating 18 hours a day. It would be 15 more years before every San Diego police car was equipped with a two-way radio.

The 1930’s also saw the introduction of a new city charter expressly forbidding council influence over the police department. It would be a deathblow to the political influence that once had its grip on the city’s police.

In 1938 the city approved a new, state of the art police headquarters at 801 W. Market St. With ceramic tile roofs, fountains and palm trees, the building looked like no police station ever had. (From 1947 until 1952 the station also housed a 4-lane bowling alley) The department moved to a larger facility in 1987 but in 1999 the National Register of Historic Places recognized the station as a national landmark. Today it is one of only two police facilities on the West Coast to ever maintain such a prestigious honor.

World War two was a huge turning point for the San Diego Police Department. In addition to having to deal with 1/3 of its officers drafted into the military, the population of the city doubled. Once again officers worked 12-18 hours a day, seven days a week. To further compound issues, officers could not use headlights or radios on patrol and could not drive a police car more than 25 miles per shift.

Housing shortages in the city were so severe many people were living in converted streetcars or sleeping in hotel beds in shifts. Sailors and Marines flooded downtown bars 24 hours a day and there were fights galore. Rationing caused citizens to struggle for even basic necessities such as gasoline or a pair of shoes for their children. The cops were no different. In addition to the struggles at home, they faced it all at work as well.

1945 saw WWII come to an end and the beginning of a police school for new officers. No longer would recruits be handed and badge and gun and told to go fight crime, they would receive formal training. New rules were instituted forbidding drinking on duty, swearing, picking up dates and gratuities. Officers were also instructed in criminal law and police procedure. It was the birth of the modern, professional police officer.

The 1950’s again saw the issue of low staffing brought to the forefront. Instead of hiring additional officers though, the department instead adopted a one officer per car policy. Suddenly, it appeared to citizens as though the police department had doubled in size. The issue of low officer to citizen ratio would be left for other administrations to deal with.

The 1960’s saw unrest all across the United States and San Diego was no different. In response to officers having rocks and bottles thrown at them, Chief Elmer Jansen ordered all uniformed officers below the rank of lieutenant to wear helmets while on duty. To further add to the discomfort the chinstraps of the helmets were required to be buckled at all times. Violation of the order meant a two-day suspension.

San Diego played host to the largest police shootout in American history, (to that point) when, on April 8, 1965, a gunman entered the Hub Loan Company at 5th and F Street downtown and murdered the store owner. Responding officers were greeted with gunfire and during the shootout the gunman and police fired more than 1000 rounds. The event was so out of control off duty officers who saw it on television came to the scene, emptied their guns into the building and left. The shootout ended when Sergeant AD Brown went into the building armed with a shotgun. As he searched the building, Brown heard a “click click click” behind him. The suspect had snuck up on him and was pulling the trigger of his gun. Fortunately the gun was loaded with the wrong ammo and Sergeant Brown shot the suspect. The lack of organized response to the Hub Loan shootout led to the creation of what is now the SWAT team.

In 1976 the San Diego Police Department promoted Connie Borchers (Van Putten) as its first female sergeant. Her promotion followed women being assigned uniformed patrol duties in 1973. 1976 also saw the creation of one of the most dangerous assignments in the history of policing, the Border Area Robbery Force (BARF) In response to violence against undocumented aliens along the San Ysidro border, a group of SDPD officers dressed as immigrant and patrolled the canyon. The group was involved in many shootouts resulting in the deaths of a number of bandits. Several officers were injured, none were killed. The task force later became the subject of the best selling novel “Lines and Shadows” by Joseph Wambaugh.

On September 25, 1978, San Diego experienced the worst airline disaster in American history (to that point) when a Boeing 727 crashed in a North Park residential neighborhood. Several houses were hit by flying debris. In all 144 people in the plane and on the ground were killed. A nearby high school gymnasium was quickly turned into a morgue. To further augment staffing, police academy recruits were brought in for search and rescue and crowd control. For several recruits the carnage was too much and it marked their first and last day in law enforcement.

As the 1970’s drew to a close, the San Diego Police Department began to experience a loss of police officers at a rate never before seen in its history. In addition to officers leaving the department for better paying jobs, they were also being murdered.

By the mid 1980’s San Diego held the dubious distinction of being not only the deadliest city for American police officers to work in (per capita) but also its lowest staffed per population ratio.

On July 18, 1984, James Oliver Huberty, a 41-year-old, unemployed security guard, went on a shooting spree in a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro. 21 people were murdered and 20 were injured in the tragic event before Huberty was killed by a police sniper. Despite suffering serious injuries from multiple gunshot wounds, one of the surviving employees of the McDonalds massacre went onto to become an SDPD sergeant.

In 1986 the department took a huge step forward in modernization when it acquired its first police helicopter.

In 1988 shoulder patches were added to the police uniform making it the first time in almost 100 years that SDPD officers wore an agency specific patch as insignia. 1988 was also the year the department returned to black and white police cars after a 20-year span of using an all white color scheme.

The 1990s saw an aggressive push to train officers in new and innovative safety tactics effectively lowering the officer mortality rate to the lowest in the US for a large city.

In perhaps one of the wildest police chases in history, on May 17, 1995, Shawn Nelson, an unemployed plumber with a military background, stole a National Guard M-60 tank and drove through the Mesa College area leading police on a nationally televised chase. The chase ended when Nelson crashed the tank. Despite heavy property damage from smashed cars, no innocent citizen was injured.

In 1996 the department changed its look once again when it went back to blue uniforms. The old tan uniforms had been worn for almost 49 years making it the longest style uniform ever worn by SDPD.

As the 20th century drew to a close, SDPD personnel could look back with pride at their accomplishments. They had put serial killers behind bars, hosted two Super Bowls, a Republican National Convention, riots, shootouts, two world wars and everything else that was thrown at them.

As the SDPD entered the 21st century it bore little resemblance to the police force of 1889. With more than 2100 sworn officers, 600 support personnel and over 1000 volunteers, the ethnic makeup and gender diversity of the department more accurately reflected the community the officers were serving. An internal survey showed department staffing as 71 percent white, 16 percent Latino, 9 percent black and 4 percent Native American, Asian, Filipino and other. The figures compare with the city's population of 61 percent white, 24 percent Latino, 6 percent black and 9 percent others including Asian.

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