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...

In police work, you get to meet every possible type of human being (and having worked in San Francisco for 30 years, I can authoritatively say that if space aliens ever landed in my town, no one there would ever notice). Poor,...

There was something fishy going on at 26th and Alabama St. Joking aside, this was one case that was easy to solve just by following your police instincts, especially your “nose” for the truth. Because of the rotation plan that Inspectors...

Being a field training officer (FTO) for rookie cops is one of the most important jobs in police work. Even with all our academies, and psyche tests, and background investigations, the true way a cop is educated is in the...

In the Peoples Republic (Duchy?) of San Francisco back in the daze, funny cases came up regularly. I’ll pick one where the statute of limitations has hopefully expired. We were working a plainclothes “Buy/Bust” detail in Dolores Park one sunny...

Sometimes an innocent clash of cultures can be more dangerous to your life and your career than a cornered drug dealer with a straight razor. The Mission District was a ground-level United Nations mixing bowl, and it seemed that every...