Police records, scheduling diaries, speech materials, papers from conferences and events, certificates and awards, clippings, publications, photographs, and audiorecordings documenting Cahill's professional and public life from the 1940s-until his death in 2001. The collection follows the trajectory of his career as a San Francisco Police Department officer, homicide inspector, deputy chief of police, and chief of police; as well as his public life after he retired from SFPD, when he continued to be a prominent public figure and public speaker. Police records are mainly from an undercover vice investigation from the 1950s. Most of the photographs document events held in honor of Cahill, with a few photographs from trips or enclosed with correspondence. Occasions include a testimonial dinner on June 23, 1967, the Hall of Justice rededication ceremony of March 10, 1994, and Cahill's 90th birthday party. A small number of photos are unidentified and/or undated and have been arranged in a separate series. Many of the photographs have been removed from scrapbooks and photo albums: photographs from the testimonial dinner, June 23, 1967 were originally housed in two albums; the Hall of Justice rededication ceremony photos were housed in three albums; and photos from Cahill's trip to Buenos Aires, Dec. 1-18, 1968 are still mounted on the disbound album pages.Sound recordings are included in the police records of Series 1 and as part of Cahill's professional activities in Series 3.
