Official Facebook page of the San Francisco Police Department
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The San Francisco Police Department was founded in 1849, amid the turmoil of the California Gold Rush. The police department of that time consisted of one marshal and 12 police officers. Today's force consists of just under 2,200 sworn officers and several hundred civilian employees.
The uniform patch was adopted during the mid 1950's and was originally worn by the Traffic Bureau. It was later designated as the emblem of the Tractical Squad in the late 1960's and was formally adopted by the entire department in 1970.
The emblem depicts the mythological bird called the "Phoenix," which like the city itself rose from the ashes after the 1906 earthquake and fire. The motto means "Gold in Peace, Iron in War."
