NYC Police Department Blotters
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
This collection consists of 4 New York City Police Department blotters from 3 different police precincts in Manhattan. The volumes date from 1861 to 1899 and document the day to day workings of the police stations. One blotter is from the 1st Precinct, 2 are from the 2nd Precinct, and 1 is from the 25th Precinct.
Biographical / Historical
The 1st Precinct covers the southernmost tip of Manhattan, and includes SoHo, Tribeca and Wall Street
The 2nd Precinct covered the area of lower Manhattan that included the Fulton Market, with headquarters at 49 Beekman Street. This precinct no longer exists, and the area is now covered by the 1st Precinct.
The 25th Precinct encompasses the northern portion of East Harlem, as well as Randall's Island.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged chronologically.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of 4 New York City Police Department blotters from 3 different police precincts in Manhattan dating from 1861 to 1899. One blotter is from the 1st Precinct, 2 are from the 2nd Precinct, and 1 is from the 25th Precinct.
The blotters document the day to day workings of the police stations, including officer roll calls, changes in official duty rosters, police patrol post coverage and changes. They note the locations of open doors and windows, and any accidents or sudden deaths in the precinct. Entries detailing civil and criminal complaints include the time of arrest, the name, race, age, place of birth, occupation, marital status, and ability to read and write of each offender, along with a list of their possessions at the time of arrest, and a brief description of the charges. Some indicate the sentence as well. The blotters also include records of police surgeon's visits, "lodgers" (people seeking night shelter in the police station), and lost children.
Subjects
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: NYC Police Department Blotters, MS 3231, New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase, 2003 and 2015.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Processed by archivist Marybeth Kavanagh, 2023.