A Guide to the Richmond Police Department surveillance collection M 571 A collection in Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, M 571

A Guide to the Richmond Police Department surveillance collection M 571

A collection in Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, M 571


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VCU James Branch Cabell Library

Special Collections and Archives 901 Park Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23284
Business Number: (804) 828-1108
libsca@vcu.edu
URL: https://www.library.vcu.edu/research-teaching/special-collections-and-archives/locations/#cabell

Irina Rogova, Jessica E. Johnson, and Margaret Turman Kidd

Repository
VCU James Branch Cabell Library
Identification
M 571
Title
Richmond Police Department Surveillance collection 1961-1975
Quantity
6 Linear Feet, 5 records storage boxes, 1 oversize box , Contains 16 mm and 8 mm film; photographs and negatives; reel-to-reel tapes, note cards, ephemera
Language
English

Administrative Information

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Access restrictions

The collection is open to research. Some film reel content may only be accessed in the Special Collections reading room at James Branch Cabell Library. A few items are restricted from access; they are noted in the contents list.

Custodial History

Detective Ricky Duling maintained these materials after retirement. After his death they were given to David Jackson, who transferred them to VCU Libraries.

Existence and Location of Copies

Access copies of the audio and film reels and the transcripts are available via VCU Libraries Digital Collections.

Preferred Citation

Richmond Police Surveillance Collection, 1961-1975, Collection # M 571, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Acquisition Information

The collection was transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University from David Jackson in 2017.


Biographical / Historical Information

During the turbulent years of the 1960s and 1970s, the Richmond, VA police department surveilled groups, people, and events they determined to be subversive, counter-cultural, or threatening. Most of the films were taken at public events, with officers filming from the street-level sidelines or even embedded in the event. There are other instances where police are covertly filming people entering private homes or secret events from higher or hidden vantage points. The footage they took are considered general-investigatory, non-evidential, non-permanent records. While it appears the department was primarily focused on the Civil Rights, Black Power, Women's Rights, and Anti-War movements, they also surveilled those involved with the White Power and anti-integration movements.

Content Description

The collection contains film and audio reels pertaining to civil rights and other activities in the 1960s and 1970s in Richmond, Virginia, and surrounding states. These include the H. Rap Brown trial, Lincoln Memorial Peace March, the Martin Luther King memorial at the Virginia State Capitol, Anti-Bussing protests, the Poor People's Campaign, student protest marches, surveillance of the Black Panthers, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), the National Socialist White People's Party, and illegal abortion providers. There are also reels of police training videos, retirement parties, and the 1969 flood.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged alphabetically by media type in two series, which area also arranged alphabetically.

Series 1. Audio Recordings Series 2. Film

Subjects and Indexing Terms


Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

The film and audio reels have been digitzed for use. Digitized files need a computer or other internet-enabled device to access.


Significant Places Associated With the Collection

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Container List

Series 1: Audio recordings
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Series 2: Film recordings
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