Alex Fagan
Encyclopedia
Alex Emanuel Fagan was the former Chief of the San Francisco Police Department
. Fagan was raised in the East Bay community of Richmond, California
, and graduated from UC Berkeley in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in criminology. He joined the San Francisco Police Department in 1973. He received three silver and five bronze medals of valor. In 1976, he helped save 30 men from a fire at a gay bathhouse
. In 1979, he swam 200 yards into San Francisco Bay to save a suicidal woman. He also oversaw the department's budget and ran the Northern Station. In November 2002, while Fagan was a deputy chief, two men reported that they had been attacked by a group of off-duty police officers, including Fagan's son, who was a rookie with the department. Fagan was charged by a grand jury with conspiring to cover up the incident, which became known as "Fajitagate
." Fagan was ultimately cleared and the charges dismissed. He was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown
as acting police chief in March 2003 and chef in August 2003. In January 2004, newly-elected Mayor Gavin Newsom
removed Fagan as chief and put him in charge of the city's emergency services office. Fagan died in November 2010 after collapsing while walking his dog on a street in London, England.
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...
. Fagan was raised in the East Bay community of Richmond, California
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, and graduated from UC Berkeley in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in criminology. He joined the San Francisco Police Department in 1973. He received three silver and five bronze medals of valor. In 1976, he helped save 30 men from a fire at a gay bathhouse
Gay bathhouse
Gay bathhouses, also known as gay saunas or steam baths, are commercial bathhouses for men to have sex with other men. In gay slang in some regions these venues are also known colloquially as "the baths" or "the tubs," and should not be confused with public bathing.Not all men who visit gay...
. In 1979, he swam 200 yards into San Francisco Bay to save a suicidal woman. He also oversaw the department's budget and ran the Northern Station. In November 2002, while Fagan was a deputy chief, two men reported that they had been attacked by a group of off-duty police officers, including Fagan's son, who was a rookie with the department. Fagan was charged by a grand jury with conspiring to cover up the incident, which became known as "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...
." Fagan was ultimately cleared and the charges dismissed. He was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown
Willie Brown
Willie Brown may refer to:*Willie Brown , Mayor of San Francisco, 1996–2004, Speaker of the California State Assembly, 1980–1995*Willie Brown , American football Hall-of-Fame cornerback...
as acting police chief in March 2003 and chef in August 2003. In January 2004, newly-elected Mayor Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...
removed Fagan as chief and put him in charge of the city's emergency services office. Fagan died in November 2010 after collapsing while walking his dog on a street in London, England.