In 1956, the Dallas Police Department made it’s home within the beautiful Dallas Municipal Building, located at 2014 Main Street. At one point, the building housed City Hall, municipal courts, the Dallas Police Department, and its jail. In 1978, City Hall eventually moved to its current location at 1500 Marilla Street. In 2003, the Dallas Police Department followed and moved to its new location at 1400 S. Lamar Street. For the last few years, the municipal courts were the only remaining occupants. As of February 9th, 2015, the part of the building that was once occupied by the Dallas Police Department, and its jail, is officially closed off for renovations. The University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law has plans to move into this historic building and be a part of its legacy. As we move on from an unforgettable era, we savor the memories through the following pictures that captured the department’s history.
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- Bullpen
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- Inside the Bullpen
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- Step on the “X” for your mugshot.
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- Jail Cells
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- There were no mattresses in these cells.
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- Handle to open and close cell doors
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- The cell for Texas fans during TX-OU weekends. Those arrested had to be separated from the opposing teams to prevent further altercations.
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- The cell for Oklahoma fans during TX-OU weekends. There were multiple bullpens labeled for each team.
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- Juvenile Holding Cell
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- Kitchen
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- Instead of computers to type reports on, officers had to stand and handwrite reports on these counters.
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- Lawyers can speak with clients in the last stall that was enclosed with a door for privacy.
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- Padded cells for suspects who were harmful to themselves.
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- Youth and Family Investigations shared the same space.
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- Without the help of computers back then, the records section contained files after files.
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- Community engagement has always been a part of the Dallas Police Department
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- The basement contained 3 lanes for firearm training.
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- The basement also contained the locker rooms, exercise room, and sauna.
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- Charting the status of investigative cases.
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- The same cell was used for Lee Harvey Oswald AND Jack Ruby.
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- The desk Lee Harvey Oswald was sitting at during his interrogation.
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- The gray dash towards the bottom of the picture marks the spot Lee Harvey Oswald stood when he was shot by Jack Ruby.
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