Today, the Orange County Probation Department held a party at the Lamoreaux Justice Center to celebrate their agency's 100th year. There was a nice display of historical artifacts and documents, including this great portrait (above) of David R. McMillan, who served as Chief Probation Officer from 1939 to 1967. (During World War II, Carl S. Warner served as interim Chief until McMillan's return from military service.).
The exhibit (see photo below) also included such documents as the log of the County's juvenile detention facility, with entries as early as 1910. My favorite entry from the first page: "May 24, 1910. Ida S____. Age 14. Incorrigible. Sent to the Orange County Detention Home, May 25 by order of Judge West. ...Ida [ran] away with a Mexican and lived with him as man and wife for six months."
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Said one wisenheimer, after reading this entry aloud, "I think they call that 'Spring Break' today."
In the photo below, County Supervisors Nguyen and Moorlach and Chief Probation Officer Colleene Preciado were among the many dignitaries wishing the agency a happy birthday.
The many historical documents unearthed by the Probation Dept. in preparation for their centennial will soon be given to the Orange County Archives, where they will be available for current and future generations of historians. The history of law enforcement agencies is usually pretty interesting, and this is no exception.
