The City's first charter established the Marshall as the local peace officer. An 1883 Charter amendment established the position of Chief of Police with authority to hire police officers. The Chief of Police was an elected position until 1890. The City Charter of 1890 created the Board of Police Commissioners which administered the Department and appointed officers. Following allegations of corruption, the Commission was abolished by the new Charter of 1896. The Chief of Police, appointed by the mayor, served as administrator of the Department. In 1962, the Department assumed authority for policing the harborfront, formerly a function of the Harbor Department.
Press releases issued by the Seattle Police Department covering a wide range of topics. Many were issued to request assistance from the public in identifying a suspect, locating a person of interest, or providing information about a hit and run. Event announcements include officer promotion ceremonies, community meetings, police auctions, National Night Out parties, news conferences, Peace Officer Memorial Day events, benefit events, award ceremonies, and resource fairs. Informational releases covered police recruitment, fraud alerts, and crime prevention. Notifications were sent out about missing persons and sex offenders, and other releases announced police programs/initiatives and internal department changes like promotions and reorganizations.
Records are open to the public.
[Item and date], Press Releases, Record Series 6404-03. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.
Records are arranged chronologically.