Rare photographs
Images and documents from the history of the Patrol Specials, many shared for the first time.
A new book by Hanley Chan
Posse
Comitatus
The History, People and Legacy of San Francisco Patrol Special Police
Different times. Same purpose. A safer San Francisco. The story of the oldest police force in California and America, told by someone who wore the badge.
- History
- Service
- Community
- Legacy
About the book
From the Gold Rush to today.
Part history, part memoir, and part tribute.
Posse Comitatus tells the remarkable story of the San Francisco Patrol Special Police: its origins, evolution, challenges, and enduring legacy. It is told through the eyes of Hanley Chan, a lifelong San Franciscan, public servant, and former Patrol Special Police Officer (Beat 72, Star 2683).
The book takes readers from the early watchmen of Yerba Buena and the Vigilance Committees, through the formalization of special police and Patrol Specials in the City Charter, to the modern streets of San Francisco. Along the way, it explores real cases, newspaper headlines, court decisions, city politics, community policing, and what was gained, and lost, as the traditional beat system declined.
It is also a deeply personal story of service: a young boy born at Chinese Hospital, raised in Chinatown, who dedicated his life to public safety, veterans, youth, and community. With rare photographs, documents, and never-before-shared stories, the book offers an inside look at a little-known institution that helped shape San Francisco.
For anyone who cares about the city, its history, and the men and women who work, seen and unseen, to keep it safe, Posse Comitatus is a story worth knowing.
The story inside
Nearly two centuries on the beat.
The book follows the Patrol Specials from a frontier town on the bay to the city we know now.
-
1847
Yerba Buena
The early watchmen of a small settlement that was about to become San Francisco.
-
Gold Rush
Vigilance Committees
A boomtown, a flood of newcomers, and citizens stepping in to keep order.
-
City Charter
Made official
Special police and Patrol Specials are formalized in San Francisco's City Charter.
-
The beat
Neighborhood policing
Officers who knew every block, and what was gained and lost as the beat system declined.
-
Today
Modern streets
The legacy of the Patrol Specials, and what it means for a safer San Francisco.
What you'll find
An inside look at a little-known institution.
Newspaper headlines
How the city's press covered its private patrol officers through the decades.
Court decisions
The rulings and legal questions that defined what Patrol Specials could and couldn't do.
City politics
The debates at City Hall and the Police Commission that shaped the force's fate.
Community policing
Officers who knew merchants and residents by name, and why that mattered.
Real cases
Stories from the streets, including never-before-shared accounts from the author's own beat.
It has always been about people, neighborhoods, and a city I love.
Hanley Chan, author
About the author
Hanley Chan
Lifelong San Franciscan · Public servant · Former Patrol Special Officer
Hanley Chan was born at Chinese Hospital and raised in Chinatown. He dedicated his life to public safety, veterans, youth, and community: on the streets, in uniform, and beyond.
As a San Francisco Patrol Special Police Officer, he walked Beat 72 wearing Star 2683. Posse Comitatus brings his firsthand experience together with the long history of the force he served.
- 1847The Patrol Specials begin
- 72The author's beat
- 2683His star number
Front & back
Judge it by its cover.
Click either cover for a closer look.
Then · Now · Always
A story worth knowing.
Get your copy of Posse Comitatus and discover the history, people and legacy of the San Francisco Patrol Special Police.
Buy on AmazonBy Hanley ChanISBN 979-8-234-28480-8