Olive Belle Chambers was appointed as a Deputy Sheriff in 1913, becoming the “first lady with a badge.”Įdgar F. Jennings, the 18th Sheriff of San Diego County, Mrs. San Diego’s Horton Plaza is now the site of where Wyatt Earp opened a gambling hall just prior to 1900. As a hired gun, he was indicted for five killings in the Old West. The late 1880’s of San Diego County saw the arrival of other famous lawmen, including Wyatt Earp, who came to do his own brand of peacekeeping.

That jail stood less than 100 feet from where the Sheriff’s Museum now stands. With a penknife, he dug himself out under the foundation of the cell.

Two years later, after the first San Diego jail was built, the famous Judge Roy Bean became its first escapee. Sheriff Haraszthy built the first cobblestone jail in historic Old Town, the birthplace of California. That history is now on exhibit in the Sheriff’s Museum. From those humble beginnings, the Sheriff’s Department has carved out a remarkable rich history that is synonymous with that of San Diego County. Agoston Haraszthy (shown right), a Hungarian Count, elected first Sheriff of San Diego County, later went on to gain fame as the “Father of the California wine industry” in the Napa-Sonoma area today known as Buena Vista. Census Bureau, boasted a population of 791 people. (Today, there are 58 Counties.) It encompassed an area of over 42,000 square miles and according to the U.S. San Diego, in that year, became one of the original 27 counties chartered by the State of California. The Civil War and subsequent assassination of President Abraham Lincoln were years away. In 1850, Millard Fillmore was President of the United States.

Minimum Standards for Local Jails (Title 15).

I invite you to discover the services that we provide and the amazing work that is done every day by our staff as we keep our communities safe. We manage the county jails and provide security to the courthouses.

The Sheriff's Department provides public safety services to 4,200 square miles of unincorporated San Diego County, nine contract cities, and eighteen Indian Reservations. Welcome to the San Diego Sheriff's Department website.

Wyatt earp gambling hall san diego