San Diego County Sheriff's Department 2004 Annual Report

Leading Public Safety Strategies...S H E R I F F ’ S M U S E U M A N DE D U C A T I O N A L C E N T E R“The Sheriff’s Museum and Educational Center preserves and promotes the historyof the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for the enlightenment and educationof visitors of all ages.”Centrally located at California’s birthplaceand 100 feet from where the first cobblestonejail once stood in 1850, in the heart of historicOld Town, is the Sheriff’s Museum andEducational Center. The Museum officiallyopened its doors on November 17, 2001.Since that day, thousands of visitors from allover the Country have visited the two-story,7,000 square-foot Museum. In addition tothese visitors, approximately 12,000 4thgrade students tour the Museum annually aspart of their curriculum. Additionally, everynew Sheriff’s employee—both sworn andprofessional support staff, is required to tour the Museum as partof their orientation.Sheriff Kolender believes “it’s important for staff to know theirroots and see firsthand how law enforcement has evolved over theyears. When sworn deputies pin on their badges, they should feel asense of pride not only in the San Diego County Sheriff’sDepartment, but in the law enforcement profession as a whole.”The San Diego Sheriff’s Department certainly has a colorful pastand a modern history of professionalism and innovation that can becaptured with a visit to the Sheriff’s Museum and EducationalCenter. Exhibits include a weapons gallery, helicopter, bomb-robot,real jail cell with a display case full of homemade weapons confiscatedfrom inmates, live communications, California history gallery,courtroom, mock murder scene, financial crimes, SWAT, gangs andnarcotics and Gallery of Honor.In addition to tourists, employees and 4th grade City schoolchildren, 2004 brought many more special groups to the MuseumExecutive Director Dorothy Strout, left, with volunteerJill Gillespie, at the Museum Gift Shop.