San Diego Police Department

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The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of San Diego, California. Established on May 16, 1889, the first chief of police was Joseph Coyne. The current police chief is William Lansdowne.

Contents 1 History 2 Units 3 Divisions: 4 External link

[edit] History

Prior to 1889, law enforcement in San Diego was handled by city marshals and constables. Between 1845 and 1850, the town was under military control. In 1850, the state senate drew up a charter providing for a five-man city council assisted by a marshal, an attorney, an assessor and a treasurer.

The voters chose Agostin Haraszthy as both sheriff and marshal. The frontier lawman was patrolman, detective, criminologist, jailor, process server, clerk and executioner. His first requirement was raw courage. Hedepended upon the gun on his hip to back up his orders. His first interest was in keeping alive and bringing the culprit to justice, dead or alive.

In 1850, the council decided to build a town jail. Two bids were received, one from the Israel brothers for $3,000 and the other from Haraszthy for $5,000. Because Haraszthy's father was president of the council, Haraszthy got the contract -- bankrupting the city. Four hours after the first prisoner was incarcerated, he dug his way through the wall with a pocket knife.

The city eventually purchased a cage and put its first escape-proof jail in the Old Town Plaza. In 1871, the jail was moved to the location of the present county courthouse at Front and C Streets in new San Diego. The metropolitan San Diego Police Department was established May 16, 1889. On June 1 of that year, Joseph Coyne, the city marshal, was appointed the first chief of police.

The first police uniform consisted of derby hats, coats with high collars and badges with seven-point stars. Chief Coyne was paid $125 a month, his officers $100 a month; they worked 12-hour days, seven days a week. In 1895 shifts were reduced to eight hours -- but salaries also dropped: $25 a month. Mounted patrolmen furnished their own horses, but did receive $100 a month for feed and care of their animals. The modern mounted patrol began in 1934 in Balboa Park. It was abolished in 1948, but was re-established in 1983 and remains active today.

Among other milestones: Harry Vandeberg was the first detective (1907); W. E. Hill was the department's first motorcycle officer (1909); the first traffic signal was installed around 1920 at Fifth Avenue and Broadway (it was manually controlled by an officer who stood in the center of the intersection); the crime lab was established in 1939; patrol cars got one-way radios in 1932, two-way radios four years later; and the first reserves appeared on the scene in 1942. The first police headquarters was in City Hall at Fifth Avenue and G Street. Several moves later, the department relocated at Dead Man's Point, named because of its use as a burial place for sailors and marines during the charting and surveying of San Diego Bay. The department remained there -- at 801 West market Street -- until 1987, when it moved into its current seven-story headquarters building at 1401 Broadway.

For those interested in looking at crime trends over the past several decades, we have provided the City of San Diego Historical Crime Statistics available for the years 1950-2003, which show both crime actual numbers and rates. For additional Department history, check out the San Diego Police Historical Association's website, or try reading "To Protect and Serve: A History of the San Diego Police Department and Its Chiefs, 1889-1989, " by Pliny Castanien. This book was published by the San Diego Historical Society and is described at their website.

POLICE CHIEFS OF SAN DIEGO
1. Coyne, Joseph 05/16/1889 - 05/26/1891
2. Crawford, William H. 05/27/1891 - 07/27/1891
3. Pringle, W. H. 07/28/1891 - 08/27/1891
4. Brenning, Jacob 08/28/1891 - 05/09/1897
5. Russell, James 05/10/1897 - 05/04/1899
6. Bushyhead, E. W. 05/05/1899 - 05/31/1903
7. Thomas, Albert A. 06/01/1903 - 06/16/1907
8. Moulton, George W. 06/17/1907 - 09/03/1907
9. Neely, William T. 09/04/1907 - 04/30/1909
10. Wilson, J. Keno 05/03/1909 - 01/10/1917
11. Steer, Joseph 01/11/1917 - 05/04/1917
...Patrick, James (acting) 05/05/1917 - 10/09/1917
12. McMullen, S.P. 10/10/1917 - 04/08/1919
13. Patrick, James 04/09/1919 - 05/31/1927
14. Doran, Joseph W. 06/01/1927 - 05/12/1929
15. Hill, ArthurR. 05/13/1929 - 05/03/1931
16. Benbough, Percy J. 05/04/1931 - 08/03/1931
17. Scott, Harry H. 08/26/1931 - 06/11/1932
18. Peterson, John T. 06/12/1932 - 07/31/1932
19. Newsom, Robert P. 08/01/1932 - 06/04/1933
20. Raymond, Harry J. 06/05/1933 - 09/01/1933
21. Peterson, John T. 09/02/1933 - 09/06/1934
22. Sears, George M. 09/07/1934 - 04/27/1939
...Kelly, Harry J. (acting) 04/28/1939 - 07/18/1939
23. Peterson, John T. 07/19/1939 - 03/20/1940
24. Peterson, Clifford E. 03/21/1940 - 10/15/1947
25. Jansen, A. Elmer 10/16/1947 - 01/07/1962
26. Sharp, Wesley S. 01/08/1962 - 01/03/1968
27. Roed, O. Jimmy 01/04/1968 - 03/11/1971
28. Hoobler, Ray L. 03/11/1971 - 09/09/1975
...Kolender, W. B. (acting) 09/10/1975 - 02/13/1976
29. Kolender, W. B. 02/13/1976 - 07/29/1988
...Burgreen, Robert W. (acting) 07/30/1988 - 09/18/1988
30. Burgreen, Robert W. 09/19/1988 - 05/17/1993
31. Sanders, Jerry 05/17/1993 - 4/16/1999
...Enerson, Keith (acting) 04/17/1999 - 04/26/1999
32. Bejarano, David 04/26/1999 - 04/25/2003
...Welter, John (acting) 04/25/2003 - 08/04/2003
33. Lansdowne, William 08/04/2003 - present

[edit] Units

• Airborne Law Enforcement (ABLE)
• Armory - SWAT
• Background investigations
• Canine (K-9)
• Child abuse
• Communications
• Crime analysis
• Criminal intelligence
• Crisis intervention
• Elder abuse
• Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO)
• Field Training Officer Administration (FTO)
• Financial crimes
• Forensic science laboratory
• Gang detail
• Harbor patrol
• Homicide
• Internal affairs
• Juvenile administration
• Legal advisors
• Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST)
• Media relations
• Mounted enforcement unit
• Narcotics
• Neighborhood policing
• Permits & licensing (vice administration)
• Psychological services
• Records
• Recruitment
• Robbery
• School task force
• Sex crimes
• SWAT/SRT (Special Response Team)
• Traffic
• Vice operations

[edit] Divisions:

The SDPD is divided into 8 divisions serving the city from the Tijuana border in the south to La Jolla in the Northwest and the Wild Animal Park in the Northeast. Each division acts as its own mini police department; with the exception of certain crimes and specialized units which are handled from the headquarters building. The busiest division is MidCity with Central not far behind. The least impacted division is Northeastern.

Northern Division:

The Northern Division, located at 4275 Eastgate Mall, serves the neighborhoods of Bay Ho, Bay Park, Carmel Valley, Clairemont Mesa East, Clairemont Mesa West, Del Mar Heights, La Jolla, La Jolla Village, Mission Bay Park, Mission Beach, North City, North Clairemont, Pacific Beach, Torrey Pines and University City. Northern Division serves a population of approximately 249,873 people and encompasses 68.2 square miles.

Northeastern Division:

The Northeastern Division, located at 13396 Salmon River Road, serves the neighborhoods of Black Mountain Ranch, Carmel Mountain, Miramar, Miramar Ranch North, Mira Mesa, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Encantada, Rancho Penasquitos, Sabre Springs, Scripps Ranch, Sorrento Valley, and Torrey Highlands. Northeastern Division serves a population of approximately 220,701 people and encompasses 121.8 square miles.

Eastern Division:

The Eastern Division, located at 9225Aero Drive, serves the neighborhoods of Allied Gardens, Birdland, Del Cerro, Grantville, Kearny Mesa, Lake Murray, Mission Valley East, San Carlos, Serra Mesa and Tierrasanta. Eastern Division serves a population of approximately 122,485 people and encompasses 44.2 square miles.

Southeastern Division:

The Eastern Division, located at 9225Aero Drive, serves the neighborhoods of Allied Gardens, Birdland, Del Cerro, Grantville, Kearny Mesa, Lake Murray, Mission Valley East, San Carlos, Serra Mesa and Tierrasanta. Eastern Division serves a population of approximately 122,485 people and encompasses 44.2 square miles.

Central Division:

The Central Division, located at 2501 Imperial Avenue, serves the neighborhoods of Balboa Park, Barrio Logan, Core-Columbia, Cortez, East Village, Gaslamp, Golden Hill, Grant Hill, Harborview, Horton Plaza, Little Italy, Logan Heights, Marina, Memorial, Park West, Sherman Heights, South Park and Stockton. Central Division serves a population of approximately 85,927 people and encompasses 9.7 square miles.

Western Division:

The Western Division, located at 5215 Gaines Street, serves the neighborhoods of Hillcrest, La Playa, Linda Vista, Loma Portal, Midtown, Midway District, Mission Hills, Mission Valley West, Morena, North Park, Ocean Beach, Old Town, Point Loma Heights, Roseville-Fleetridge, Sunset Cliffs, University Heights and Wooded Area. Western Division serves a population of approximately 175,985 people and encompasses 25.9 square miles.

Southern Division:

The Southern Division, located at 1120 27th Street, serves the neighborhoods of Border, Egger Highlands, Nestor, Ocean Crest, Otay Mesa, Otay Mesa West, Palm City and San Ysidro. Southern Division serves a population of approximately 92,168 people and encompasses 31.3 square miles.

MidCity Division:

The Midcity Division, located at 4310 Landis Street, serves the neighborhoods of Azalea/Hollywood Park, Castle, Cherokee Point, Chollas Creek, Colina del Sol, College Area East, College Area West, Corridor, Darnall, El Cerrito, Fairmont Village, Fox Canyon, Gateway, Islenair, Kensington, Normal Heights, Oak Park, Rolando, Swan Canyon, Talmadge, Teralta East, Teralta West, and Webster. Midcity Division serves a population of approximately 157,316 people and encompasses 15.7 square miles.

[edit] External link

• San Diego Police Department

Northwestern Division The San Diego Police Department's new Northwestern Division station in Carmel Valley resembles a futuristic office building, not a gritty precinct outpost. More important, the long-awaited police station, which opened in March 2007, signals a new beginning for law enforcement in the northern reaches of the San Diego city limits. Police expect to respond more quickly to emergencies and better serve the 58,000 residents living there. The Northwestern Division will cover nearly 31 square miles and serve about 78,000 people by 2010.