It's been an incredible 35 years for me. Actually it's been an incredible 59 years. To have the opportunity to grow up, live, and then work in this crazy, insane, magnificent city has been a pretty special experience.
At the time none of us knew we were growing up right in the middle of history. Many will say the 60's may have been the most important decade of the 20th century, and those of us who lived here enjoyed a ringside seat to history. John Kennedy's assassination in 1963 (all I can recall is my mother crying for 3 days), Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy dying from assassins bullets just 5 years later. The Vietnam War, The Civil Rights Movement, Haight-Ashbury, The Gay Rights movement; San Francisco was right in the middle of it all. I remember going to Golden Gate Park on Friday afternoons in my St. Anne's uniform and watching groups like the Grateful Dead, Tower of Power, Santana, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and Jefferson Airplane while at the same time being raised in a strict catholic family and being taught to accept everyone for who they were.
Having a chance to attend St. Ignatius, and then USF, and having the opportunity to play 4 years of college baseball wearing my city’s name on my chest was pretty cool. I started the academy June 26, 1978 at the age of 24. Nothing has made me prouder than to wear that seven-pointed star with my city proudly displayed on the front. The police academy was on Treasure Island in those days and I had my problems with authority. Even though I had spent 16 years in catholic schools, I was still a little belligerent and almost got kicked out for insubordination by none other than Academy Commanding officer Mike Hebel!
Even though I was still a bit immature when I went into my FTO assignments, I could hold my own as a street kid with a degree of life experience. Once I got out there, I loved it. Within one month in the FTO program we had witnessed the "Jonestown" massacre and the murders of Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk.
Less then a year later, May 21, 1979, I stood on the steps of City Hall and watched as rioters were tacitly allowed to take over the front steps of the building and injuring over 100 police officers in the process. I watched 10 radio cars burn to the ground while we were forced to stand and watch. It was a total debacle, and nearly devoid of competent command. The rampage was in response to the lenient sentence Dan White had received for the double murder, and it would not be the last time that I experienced inept, spineless leadership in our department.
I was lucky enough to be assigned to the Central district after my FTO, and spent the next six years working midnights in the Tenderloin along with some great cops, including a young fellow named Greg Suhr. I think those early years are when I learned to be a cop and also mature as a man.
To witness day in and day out the " human condition." To see the results of murder, rape, drug addiction and a host of other human maladies, and the senselessness of it all, was an eye opening experience.
It was during those early years that I developed a profound respect for my fellow officers and for my chosen profession. Spending twelve years in the Narcotics Division working with some of the most dedicated and courageous cops imaginable will be something I will never forget. People criticize the " Thin Blue Line" but I say embrace it. Nobody can pass judgment on you unless they have walked a mile in your shoes. Protect each other and don't let people who don't have the guts to get on the battlefield judge your actions. Many in this world are watchers who stand up for nothing. You, on the other hand, have chosen to enter the fray, even charge headfirst into it. While the watchers stand safely on the sidelines and second-guess your every move, you rise in the heat of the moment and take charge. I have lived in the company of heroes for 35 years. It has been a privilege.
There were, of course, some crazy times. The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake when nobody went home for three days but were glad to do what we could. The days following 9-11 when people actually showed some appreciation for what we do. That night on the steps of City Hall, and the first 49er parade. The Pope’s visit, the Democratic National Convention, and – finally -- that first Giants World Series Championship parade. Unforgettable times in a great career!
On the other end of the spectrum, losing three partners long before their time, witnessing the loss of fourteen officers in the line of duty, and watching many others die way too soon as a result of this profession has been heartbreaking and humbling.
I have been proud to stand beside you for twenty-six years, and equally as proud to serve as your POA president for another nine. I have tried to speak for you and represent you effectively and aggressively, and I assure you I tried to have your back every step of the way. We have made unprecedented strides in our compensation, benefits, and working conditions, and you all deserve every penny. No one knows the road you travel, the sacrifices you make, and the price you pay to be a San Francisco police officer. I have immense respect for all of the you, and the work you do, because I know how difficult it is to function as a police officer while at the same time keeping your sanity and raising a family.
I will never forget our fallen brothers and sisters who have died serving this city, whether it happened in the line of duty or not. I walk away with a smile on my face because I could not have picked a better profession and there is no other city in which I would have wished to serve. I look forward to retirement and it's many new challenges, but being a San Francisco police officer will be the greatest achievement of my life, and I will miss my second family in the worst way. Time moves quickly, so enjoy every day and never take for granted the people in your life. To me you are all heroes. Only those of us in the profession understand the physical, psychological, and emotional toll it takes on our body and soul and most of us somehow keep it together.
I wish you all a long and prosperous life, and be safe out there. God bless you all.
Oro En Paz - Fierro En Guerra.
"There are three kinds of people in the world. There are wolves, there are sheep, and there are those who protect the sheep from the wolves. They are called police officers."
