A lot of management policies stress the importance of keeping your workforce “engaged.” In law enforcement that means keeping the troops busy, even if you have to make up work for them. Otherwise, the grunts will start getting restless, invent...

The crown jewel of the City of San Francisco, at the intersections of elegant commerce, urban glory, and civic pride, is a place called Union Square. All four sides of this centerpiece park are bounded by internationally famous hotels such...

All things considered, I should have gotten involved in the usual Thur$day afternoon poker game in the back room at Zukas, and then left before the last hand was dealt. Every cop in the San Francisco Police Department had to...

I’m a huge fan of what movies and TV seem to think goes on in my profession, mostly so I can laugh or comment out loud how absolutely wrong most of what these people seem to think happens in our...

As a cop, working at a fixed-post uniformed check-point job, standing behind a flimsy barricade at a local Faire, or other similar cultural event, was usually deadly boring and tedious. You always had the same silly questions: “No, you can’t...

The Frequent Flyers on my foot beat in the Mission District of San Francisco all had street names that usually complimented some aspect of their appearance, attitude, looks, or other distinguishing factors. Tuue Tuue Feta Feta (whose name in Tagalog...

You don’t have to get along with everyone at work, but if he is your boss, has a bad temper and carries a gun, it’s a good idea to try. People in the Cop World who are leaders inspire either...

It’s taken me almost 20 years to write this story, so it’s about time I tell people what the events at the Twin Towers meant to me here in San Francisco. And to my cousin Larry who was a New...

If you are a detective following clues and evidence, or Dorothy following the Yellow Brick Road, or even if you are following breadcrumbs on the forest floor trying to get back to the safety of Grandma’s house, some paths are...

In 1979, because of the then current fad of hijacking civilian planes to Cuba, Morocco, and other garden spots to make political statements, the FAA decided to do something. They wanted to start checking on passenger’s luggage and such. Committees...