An Oral History Archive for the City of Santa Clara, California - Jack O'Neil
Date Created
August 14th, 1974
Description
O’NEILL, John J. (Jack). 2061 Bohannon Drive, Santa Clara, 296-5013.
Mr. O’Neill was a member of the police department beginning in 1936. He was police chief from 1946 through 1952.
August 15, 1974 (first session).
Post Office (1918): its equipment, pay, employees, expansion of the system. Work as a local electrician. A. Block Fruit Company (Twenties): orchards, extent of land holdings, fruit-packing operations, transporting the fruit through the plant, growth of company, automation, sleeping quarters for workers, animosity between Chinese and Japanese workers, manager William McCormick, wages, special bonuses, decline of the company, Mrs. McCormick and her house. Special police officers (Twenties, Thirties). The festival: drinking at the festival during Prohibition. Prohibition: stills, homemade wine, law enforcement. Neighborhoods. Prune-picking: PM Mill. Fruit-workers strike (date uncertain). Police department: growth of force, joining the force (Thirties), his promotion to chief (1946), number of personnel. Length—68 minutes. (Second Session on Tape #14)
August 22, 1974 (second session).
Justice of the peace system (pre-1946): the judges, their jurisdiction, constables, transition to a municipal court system, cases handles by the JPs, division of fee monies between the city and the JP, traffic law enforcement. Term as police chief (1946-52): decision to run for the office, qualifications for police officers (late Forties), growth in department ranks, powers and titles given to police chief in addition to law enforcement responsibilities (for example, Tax Collector, Street Superitendent, et. al.), businessmen’s reaction to license law enforcement, removal of the extra titles and duties for police chief, the old jail, Fallon’s tradition of playing host to the children of the chief, dismissal from post. Changing charter to an elective police chief, final election defeat (1954). Length—47 minutes.
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