Moments in History from the L.A. Sheriff’s Museum
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SETTING THE PACE FOR THE BEGINNING
In the spring of 1999, Captain Chuck Jackson, the commander of the Inmate Reception Center, received a phone call from the sheriff instructing him to create a program that would be a modern version of the historic chain gangs. Instead of having inmates clean up along roads and highways as they had done in chain […]
Barring an Inmate Take Over of Central Jail
New Mexico State Prison Riot The New Mexico State Penitentiary, a maximum security facility near Santa Fe, was the scene of one of the most brutal prison riots in American history. On a Saturday in the early morning hours of February 2, 1980, two inmates were drinking homemade alcohol and were caught by a prison […]
The Search Probe
The Hall of Justice Jail opened in 1926 and was constructed with the best technology known at that time. After years of use, many cracks and crevices developed creating locations for inmates to hide contraband. When I began working at the Hall of Justice Jail in 1975 it was already fifty years old. The metal […]
Gunfight at the Pinnacle Peak
Shortly before midnight on November 25th, 1978, Deputies Ken Moulton and Wilma Morris were at San Dimas Sheriff’s Station booking suspects they just arrested at a large party in Covina. With their booking paperwork long from completed, they heard the station dispatcher announce over the public address system, “Any unit to handle, any unit to […]
Deputy Bill Panzone’s Brutal Attack
In 1975, an escape attempt occurred at the Hall of Justice Jail that shortened Deputy Bill Panzone’s career only days after it began and affected his life forever. Bill Panzone started his career with the Sheriff’s Department on January 17, 1975. He was sworn in as a deputy sheriff and worked as an “Off the […]
998! 2 Deputies, 1 Explorer Shot!
At the time Deputy Donald Bear graduated in Class 137 from the Sheriff’s Academy in January 1970, he had no idea that in just three years he would become involved in a horrifying shooting. After working two years in the Hall of Justice Jail, he transferred in February 1972 to Temple Sheriff’s Station.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Memorial Torch Relay Run
Lighting the First Flame From 1850, when Los Angeles County was first formed, until the beginning of 1970, less than 300 law enforcement officers from agencies throughout the county had been killed in the line of duty. In the early 1970’s, there was a dramatic increase of the number of officers killed. In just a […]