San Francisco's First Black Police Chief Dies

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — There's been a notable death in San Francisco. The City's first Black police chief, Prentice Earl Sanders, has died, Police Chief Bill Scott announced.

Sanders, 83, joined the Police Department in 1964 and was eventually appointed to the position of chief in 2002 by then-Mayor Willie Brown.

In a statement, Scott sent his condolences to Sanders' family.

"Chief Sanders should be remembered for a trailblazing legacy that went far beyond the barrier he broke as San Francisco's first Black chief of police," he said.

"Earl Sanders joined SFPD as a young Army veteran in 1964, at a time when there were few other African American police officers. He earned widespread respect from the diverse communities he served as a beat cop, homicide inspector, and member of the command staff. Yet he heroically risked his ascent through the ranks to remedy the injustices of racial bias," he said.

In 1973, Sanders filed a discrimination suit against the Police Department, and testified in federal court about the racism he experienced.

"Members of the San Francisco Police Department today take justifiable pride in a legacy of progressive innovation that animates our quest for improvement and reform to be a national model of 21st Century policing. That legacy owes in large part to the leadership and courage Earl Sanders demonstrated throughout his career here," Scott said.

Sanders served as police chief for just a year, resigning in late 2003, after he was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly trying to cover up a fight between off-duty officers, later known as Fajita-gate, although the charges were ultimately dropped.

— Patch editor Bea Karnes and Bay City News contributed to this story