New York Police Department surveillance films
Collection REC0063 - RG 062. New York Police Department
New York Police Department surveillance films
Collection
REC-0063
Collection
REC-0063
Dating from 1960-1980, the collection comprises 1,448 reels of 16mm black and white silent films taken by the New York Police Department (NYPD) for surveillance purposes. (There are three additional 8mm films that have not been digitized.) The films depict surveillance activities that were ordered by the Bureau of Special Services (BOSSI) and then carried out by the NYPD Photo Unit of Manhattan (PUM). The PUM officers were generally plain clothed to enable covert filming of their subjects, most often in public places. Virtually all of the films in this collection were shot on 100 foot reels, lasting up to three minutes in length.
The films primarily document various political and activist groups BOSSI believed posed potential threats to the peace and safety of New York City residents. These groups included activists conducting protests, strikes, sit-ins and acts of civil disobedience focused on the end of segregation, the beginning of Civil Rights, protests against wars in Vietnam and South-East Asia, student and labor movements, as well as preventing assassination plots against foreign figures visiting the United Nations. The collection also includes footage of parades, religious festivals, celebrations for successful NASA missions, rallies for political parties and even home movies shot by NYPD officers.
The films in this collection do not represent all of the films BOSSI or PUM recorded during this time. For example, those used in successful criminal prosecutions would have been entered into evidence and, as such, were handled separately from those transferred to the Municipal Archives.
The films primarily document various political and activist groups BOSSI believed posed potential threats to the peace and safety of New York City residents. These groups included activists conducting protests, strikes, sit-ins and acts of civil disobedience focused on the end of segregation, the beginning of Civil Rights, protests against wars in Vietnam and South-East Asia, student and labor movements, as well as preventing assassination plots against foreign figures visiting the United Nations. The collection also includes footage of parades, religious festivals, celebrations for successful NASA missions, rallies for political parties and even home movies shot by NYPD officers.
The films in this collection do not represent all of the films BOSSI or PUM recorded during this time. For example, those used in successful criminal prosecutions would have been entered into evidence and, as such, were handled separately from those transferred to the Municipal Archives.
Extent
50 cubic feet (1,448 reels) ; 16 mm film, approximately 100 feet each
Dates
1960-1980