Prentice E. Sanders
Encyclopedia
Prentice E. Sanders, also known as Earl Sanders, was Chief of Police of the San Francisco, California
, USA Police Department for fourteen months in 2002 and 2003. He was born in Texas and moved to San Francisco's Laurel Heights at the age of fourteen, attended George Washington High School, and served in the Army. He then received Bachelor's and Masters Degrees from Golden Gate University
. He joined the San Francisco Police Department
in 1964. He is notable for becoming the forces' first African American
police chief. In 1964 when Sanders joined the force, there were less than two dozen African American
officers in the department.
He was among a group of top brass indicted for covering up the 2002 "Fajitagate
" assault by off duty police officers over a bag of take-out. Later in 2003 and through 2004, most of the senior officers including then ex-Chief Sanders, pursued legal appeals to clear their name of the underlying factual claims regarding the obstruction. Sanders and several others were eventually cleared by courts. Sanders took early retirement due to stress from the investigation.
Sanders' was instrumental in the 1973 Officers for Justice discrimination lawsuit. He and long-time partner Napolean Hendrix stand accused of misconduct in the 1989 arrest and conviction of two young African-American men for a murder in the suppression of a confession from another person.
In 2006, Earl Sanders and coauthor Bennet Cohen, his former lawyer, published the Zebra Murders about Sanders' role in the investigation of racially motivated Zebra murders
, killings in San Francisco in 1972 and 1973.
In late October, 2007, the United States Supreme Court turned down an appeal from Saunders in his lawsuit arguing that he had been prosecuted maliciously on charges of obstructing an investigation of a fight involving off-duty officers. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/30/BA2LT2VMO.DTL
A write up re: a Court Ruling as reported in the S.F.Chronicle on December 15, 2010 needs to be added here but awaits confirmation/further development by the press.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, USA Police Department for fourteen months in 2002 and 2003. He was born in Texas and moved to San Francisco's Laurel Heights at the age of fourteen, attended George Washington High School, and served in the Army. He then received Bachelor's and Masters Degrees from Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in the South of Market district, immediately south of the Financial District of downtown San Francisco, California...
. He joined the San Francisco Police Department
San Francisco Police Department
The San Francisco Police Department, also known as the SFPD and San Francisco Department Of Police, is the police department of the City and County of San Francisco, California...
in 1964. He is notable for becoming the forces' first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
police chief. In 1964 when Sanders joined the force, there were less than two dozen African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
officers in the department.
He was among a group of top brass indicted for covering up the 2002 "Fajitagate
Fajitagate
Fajitagate was a series of legal and political incidents in San Francisco which began with a street fight on November 20, 2002. The fight involved three off-duty San Francisco Police officers, Alex Fagan Jr., David Lee, and Matt Tonsing, and two San Francisco residents, Adam Snyder and Jade...
" assault by off duty police officers over a bag of take-out. Later in 2003 and through 2004, most of the senior officers including then ex-Chief Sanders, pursued legal appeals to clear their name of the underlying factual claims regarding the obstruction. Sanders and several others were eventually cleared by courts. Sanders took early retirement due to stress from the investigation.
Sanders' was instrumental in the 1973 Officers for Justice discrimination lawsuit. He and long-time partner Napolean Hendrix stand accused of misconduct in the 1989 arrest and conviction of two young African-American men for a murder in the suppression of a confession from another person.
In 2006, Earl Sanders and coauthor Bennet Cohen, his former lawyer, published the Zebra Murders about Sanders' role in the investigation of racially motivated Zebra murders
Zebra murders
The "Zebra" murders were a string of racially motivated murders that took place in San Francisco, California, from October 1973 to April 1974....
, killings in San Francisco in 1972 and 1973.
In late October, 2007, the United States Supreme Court turned down an appeal from Saunders in his lawsuit arguing that he had been prosecuted maliciously on charges of obstructing an investigation of a fight involving off-duty officers. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/30/BA2LT2VMO.DTL
A write up re: a Court Ruling as reported in the S.F.Chronicle on December 15, 2010 needs to be added here but awaits confirmation/further development by the press.