Hall of Justice
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A Hall of Justice is an occasional term for a city's police headquarters, and exists in cities across the United States. In some cases, the facility may also house courts as well as jails. In some US cities, the Hall of Justice is called the Justice Center.
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[edit] Examples
[edit] Los Angeles
In Los Angeles the Hall of Justice was the centerpiece of the Los Angeles County justice system until it was damaged in the Northridge earthquake. The historic building was featured on television shows including Dragnet, Perry Mason and Get Smart. More significantly, it was the home of Los Angeles County courts, the Los Angeles County Coroner, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney, and was for many years the primary Los Angeles County jail.
Notable residents of the Hall of Justice included Charles Manson and Sirhan Sirhan. Autopsies performed at the Hall of Justice include those of actress Marilyn Monroe and the assassinated presidential candidate and former United States Attorney General Robert Kennedy.
There are restoration plans to again make it the Sheriff's Headquarters.[1]
County Hall of Justice - Allied Architects - Los Angeles at www.you-are-here.compicture
34°03′18″N 118°14′36″W / 34.05496°N 118.24344°W
[edit] San Francisco
In San Francisco, the old Hall of Justice was opposite Portsmouth Square on Kearny Street between Washington and Merchant. A hotel, the Hilton San Francisco Financial District, now stands on this site. The old Hall of Justice was burned down during the 1906 Earthquake and rebuilt. The fourth floor window design, the famous images of half-circle, fan-shaped windows from the floor, appear in numerous police dramas such as The Lineup in the 1950s to Ironside, the American television program starring Raymond Burr, in the 1960s. The San Francisco Hall of Justice is also frequently mentioned in the works of Dashiell Hammett and James Patterson. The current Hall of Justice, located on 850 Bryant Avenue, serves as SFPD's operational headquarters, "Southern Station". It is internally referred to as "850 Bryant" and "the hall". The complex serves as the main San Francisco County Jail, as well as base of operations and headquarters for the San Francisco Sheriff's Department, as of 2001 the California Highway Patrol San Francisco headquarters (moved from a position adjacent to the 101 freeway in the south-east portion of the city), and garage for the major vehicles of the SFPD. The famed San Francisco Police Motorcycle Division is completely based out of it as well. In 1994, the Hall was renamed for Thomas J. Cahill, the legendary Chief of the SFPD from 1958 to 1970.
The San Francisco Hall of Justice is also the criminal justice center for the San Francisco County Superior Court.
37°46′32″N 122°24′14″W / 37.77544°N 122.40394°W
The Hall of Justice is also the Office of the San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner and city morgue.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Los Angeles Conservancy | Preservation Issues at www.laconservancy.org
