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​Overview

Scope and Content

The collection contains procedural documents, witness affidavits, forms, evidence inventories, reports by individual officers, photographs, and negatives.

In 1989, the Dallas Police Department transferred the documents related to the Kennedy Assassination to the Dallas Municipal Archives and Records Center.  To make the availability of these records known, on January 27, 1992, the Dallas City Council passed resolution 92-0438 stating that "all files, documents, papers, films, audio, or any other evidence held by the Dallas Police Department or any City department or agency regarding the John F. Kennedy assassination, the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, and Jack Ruby to the public and media immediately.  That the Dallas Police Department and other city departments transfer all John F. Kennedy assassination documents and related materials to the Dallas Municipal Archives and Records Center for preservation and release to the public."

In response to the resolution, the Dallas Police Department transferred additional records on January 27, 1992, March 10, 1992, and March 30, 1992.

The collection contains 11,406 documents and photographic images documenting the following four police cases: 

• Murder of John F. Kennedy
• Murder of Officer J. D. Tippit 
• Murder of Lee Harvey Oswald 

• Assault on John Connally

These materials also exist in an online exhibit provided by the Municipal Archives and also on the Portal to Texas History.

Organization​

The collection contains the following series

• Records division

• Identification division

• Personnel

• Intelligence division

• Materials received from DPD outreach efforts to transfer all Kennedy assassination records

• Other records 

• Inventory list

Records within each series may be originals, carbon copies, or photocopies.  Many of the documents are duplicated in other series.  The collection also contains oversized material.

Access​

The collection has the following restrictions and requirements related to accessing it:

• The collection in general is fragile, and access to it is considered on a case-by-case basis.  As noted above, the  collection is available for viewing via online exhibit on both this website via the link in the Scope and Content section and on the Portal to Texas History.  Speak to an archivist about viewing the originals. 

• The City of Dallas does not have copyright for 13 negatives taken by newspaper photographers Robert Jackson and Jack Beers of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald.  These images may not be microfilmed or scanned.  The City does not provide reproductions from these images.
• The collection contains a color slide of Lee Harvey Oswald.  Color and black and white copy negatives were created from this slide.  Because of possible light damage from microfilming and scanning, these slides/negatives may not be reproduced.

• The collection contains several reels of news film of the shooting of Oswald made by WFAA-TV and other local television stations.  Copyright to the WFAA-TV news film was transferred to the Sixth Floor Museum, Dallas, Texas, and all requests for reproduction will be forwarded to the Museum.  Requests for materials copyrighted by other television stations will be forwarded to their administrative offices.

Except for the items specified, permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from the Dallas Municipal Archives.  All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.

Citation​

Dallas Police Department Records Related to the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, 1963-1992 (Box <x>, Folder <y>), Dallas Municipal Archives

Related Materials

Collection 2015-005—City of Dallas JFK Commemoration
Collection 1991-019—Dallas Police Department Historical Reports, Records, and Newsletters, 1930-Current
Collection 2013-006—Aviation Director Files on President John F. Kennedy Visit, 1963-1942, 2011-2013
Collection 2014-002—William Oren Trogdon John F. Kennedy Assassination Research Collection, 1952-1964