Other San Diego Historical Society publications

To Protect and Serve: A History of the San Diego Police Department and Its Chiefs, 1889-1989
by Pliny Castanien
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To Protect and Serve is the story of the San Diego Police Department for the first 100 years, with focus on the 30 chiefs who led the force. It is the work of veteran newspaperman Pliny Castanien, who covered the police beat for the San Diego Union for 25 years.

Read the first two chapters of To Protect and Serve on-line.

Castanien's book tells of the IWW troubles of 1912, when vigilantes roamed the county. It describes the notorious Stingaree district of downtown, where shady ladies entertained sailors. And it relates the long colorful struggle of leaders of the Police Department to escape the corrupting influence of gamblers and politicians. The book remembers the deaths of 27 men and one woman while in uniform, and brings the department up-to-date into the era of drugs, drive-by shootings, and the threat of mob violence. Castanien tells how the San Diego Police Department won its status as a modern law enforcement agency upholding the highest professional standards.

Mail order form for publications available. For more information about these and other San Diego Historical Society publications, or to receive a free copy of our Publications Catalog, please call (619) 232-6203, ext. 114.