Having a job that you are excited to wake up to in the morning is not common. Former SF chief of police reveals how he has persevered through various personal trial woes and has emerged with great dignity to state that he loved his job.
Tony Ribera was once chief of police of San Francisco from 1992 until 1996. Ribera discussed going through three major personal trials made his job harder.
When asked about the trials as a whole, Ribera said, “They were hurtful, frustrating, very very negative in many ways.”
The first incident that affected Ribera was a case where a female officer stated that he sexually harassed her when he was a lieutenant. An immediate investigation followed the allegation. After three years of a Federal Court law suit Ribera was exonerated of all charges.
Ribera said, “The women of the SFPD fully backed me and my innocence. Without the support of the women in the police force I would not have won that case.”
The second case involved a gunman who shot 13 people and killed eight. The police department was criticized for their delays in trying to save the victims.
“There was information on the second suspect,” said Ribera, “we had to clear it floor by floor but we could have done things differently.”
In 1995, there were a group of individuals who requested a permit for a New Years Eve party. They were denied the permit but had the party anyways. The SFPD shut it down at 4 a.m. when 10 partygoers got confrontational. They were arrested. The ones arrested were gay activists and stories about the SFPD being homophobic broke. Ribera said what hurt the most was the good relationship with the Gay Community suffered due to the allegations.
Despite various trials and untrue allegations, Rivera is content in knowing he helped people.
“I loved it [being a Police Officer] from day one, you’re able to help people at a basic level” said Ribera.
At an SFPD commission meeting a woman spoke about she was raped in San Francisco, she lost confidence in humanity until the officer that was assigned to the case changed her mind. He was sensitive and helped her through the traumatic incident.
“That is the epitome of great police work…assure people its okay and give them advice,” said Ribera.
With a new job as a Professor at USF, Ribera has used his knowledge of Criminal Justice to teach future generations. Ribera has fond memories as a Lieutenant and Chief of Police. He never let the negative press or personal trials keep him from being one of the only remaining Chiefs in the public eye.
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