Fred Lau Explained

Birth Name:Fred Harry Lau
Birth Date:26 June 1949
Birth Place:San Francisco, California, U.S.
Alma Mater:City College of San Francisco
San Francisco State University (B.A.)
Module:
Child:yes
Order:ts
T:劉百安[1]
S:刘百安
P:Liú Bǎi Ān
J:Lau4 Baak3 On1

Fred Harry Lau (born June 26, 1949) is a former Chief of Police for San Francisco, having served from 1996–2002.[2] He was the first Asian American to ever hold that position, and has been called the first Chinese-American to lead the police in any major American city.[3] In 2013, he became the TSA Federal Security Director of the San Francisco International Airport.

Biography

Early life and education

A third-generation San Franciscan and Cantonese speaker, Lau was born at San Francisco Chinese Hospital in Chinatown, San Francisco; he grew up in and around his family's business (Wing Duck Import/Export) on Grant Avenue in Chinatown.[4] [5] He attended Garfield Elementary and Francisco Middle schools, graduating from Galileo High School.[6] As a teenager, he participated in the American Friends Service Committee anti-gang Youth for Service program.[7] He attended and graduated from City College of San Francisco,[8] and eventually obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1997 from San Francisco State University.[9] [10]

San Francisco Police

After successfully challenging a 5'8" height requirement[11] in 1970, Lau entered the SF Police Academy in 1971 and joined the San Francisco Police Department following graduation, becoming the fifth Chinese-American member of the SFPD.[3] It is not documented whether Lau participated in the 1975 police-officers strike, although supervisors, inspectors and African-American officers were non-participants.[12] He became an inspector-sergeant, eventually rising to head the SFPD Bureau of Inspectors. As a lieutenant, he headed the sniper unit. In 1977, he was assigned to the SFPD Gang Task Force after the Golden Dragon Massacre.[13] Lau served on the SFPD Discharge Review Board until 1995; this panel came under severe scrutiny in San Francisco Examiner articles for failing to hold officers accountable in police-involved shootings.[14] [15]

Police Chief

In 1996, as one of new Mayor Willie Brown's first official moves,[16] Lau was appointed as the first Asian-American chief of the 2,300-man department; possibly as a result of lobbying by AsianWeek publishers who supported Brown and Terrence Hallinan during the elections.[17] Chinatown activist Rose Pak threatened to withdraw support for the S.F. Giants' proposed Pac Bell Park if Mayor Brown didn't fire a political consultant hostile to Lau.[18] [19]

Lau served six years as chief from 1996–2002. Among Lau's successes as chief have been mentioned the implementation of domestic violence and hate-crimes units,[20] as well as a crackdown on extortion in Chinatown.[21] He appointed fellow Gang Task Force member (and future SFPD chief) Heather Fong to be captain of SFPD Central Station.[22] San Francisco Chronicle ran a series of articles criticizing the SFPD and Lau's leadership for nationally worst performance in solving violent crimes;[23] at the time Lau claimed that contractual seniority-based work rules and lack of off-hours justice solutions were key factors for the poor results.[24] [25] Lau was also associated with initiating and promulgating the politically SFPD policy of arresting participants in the Critical Mass (cycling) demonstrations.[26]

TSA

After leaving the SFPD in July 2002, he was sworn as Federal Security Director with the TSA, overseeing staff at Oakland, Stockton, Sonoma County, and Modesto airports.[27] He oversaw implementation of security screening at Oakland in 2002,[28] and explosive detection for checked-baggage in 2006.[29] In July 2013, he became Federal Security Director for SFO.[30]

Associations

Lau serves on the Advisory Board of the DHS Asian American Pacific Islander Network (DHS AAPIN),[31] and is a senior advisor to the National Association of Asian American Law Enforcement Commanders.[32]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: http://sf.worldjournal.com/pages/full_sfnews/push?article-%E6%9D%8E%E6%98%86%E6%98%8E+%E9%87%91%E5%B1%B1%E5%15167488 . zh:李昆明 金山史上第一位亞裔警察 . . zh . August 21, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714153017/http://sf.worldjournal.com/pages/full_sfnews/push?article-%E6%9D%8E%E6%98%86%E6%98%8E+%E9%87%91%E5%B1%B1%E5%8F%B2%E4%B8%8A%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%80%E4%BD%8D%E4%BA%9E%E8%A3%94%E8%AD%A6%E5%AF%9F%20&id=15167488. July 14, 2014. July 6, 2020.
  2. Web site: AsianWeek.com: Feature: Fred Lau . 2006-01-03 . WayBack Machine . 2016-04-19 . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20060103112724/http://www.asianweek.com/2002_01_11/feature.html . January 3, 2006 .
  3. News: S.F. police chief given somber sendoff. SFGate. 2018-07-02.
  4. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20020117002515/http://www.asianweek.com/2002_01_11/feature.html. January 17, 2002. The Art of Leadership. Lim. Ji Hyun. AsianWeek. January 11, 2002. July 6, 2020. dead.
  5. News: Tam readied plans to flee. San Francisco Examiner. 14. May 3, 1978. July 6, 2020. subscription. Newspapers.com.
  6. Web site: Fred Lau overcame height restrictions to fulfill dream of joining force. 1996-07-10. SFGate. 2016-04-19.
  7. Web site: What San Francisco Can Do About Gangs SF Public Defender. sfpublicdefender.org. 20 March 2008. en-US. 2018-07-02.
  8. Web site: Public Service | Gator Greats.
  9. News: A few credits short in the school for scandal. SFGate. 2018-07-02.
  10. Web site: Hall of Fame - 1997 Alumni Relations. alumni.sfsu.edu. en. 2018-07-02.
  11. Web site: Model Minority for Mayor?! Poor Magazine. www.poormagazine.org. 2018-07-02.
  12. http://www.ucpress.edu/op.php?isbn=9780520036260|pages 227-232
  13. Web site: The Golden Dragon Restaurant Massacre - FoundSF. www.foundsf.org. en. 2018-07-02.
  14. Web site: Shielded from Justice: San Francisco: Police Administration.
  15. Web site: S.F. Pays big when cops shoot civilians. 29 December 1996.
  16. Web site: PAGE ONE -- Brown's First Big Test -- Picking New Police Chief / Insiders betting promotion will come from within. 15 December 1995.
  17. Web site: PENINSULA INSIDER -- Fang Family Occupying Hot Seat / Their newspapers back her opponent, Griffin says. 13 March 1996.
  18. Web site: Mayoral family has first spat. Hatfield. Larry D.. 1996-01-19. SFGate. 2019-01-10.
  19. News: Chinatown's Champion. Wildermuth. John. September 19, 2010. SFGate.com. Hearst Newspapers.
  20. Web site: S.F. Police chief quits to take U.S. Airport job / Lau 1st Asian American to run department. 21 June 2002.
  21. Web site: Semissourian . September 10, 2016 . September 18, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160918212215/http://www.semissourian.com/story/129348.html . dead .
  22. Web site: Modern Luxury . September 10, 2016 . September 19, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160919224111/http://www.modernluxury.com/san-francisco/story/the-chief-the-mayor-and-the-meddlers . dead .
  23. Web site: Derbeken. Jaxon Van. 2002-05-19. SFPD dead last in solving violent crime. 2020-12-29. SFGATE. en-US.
  24. Web site: SFPD struggles to solve violent crimes. Category: Features from the Berkeley Daily Planet.
  25. Web site: Legislative Analyst Report - Police Investigative Procedures (File # 0120869) | Board of Supervisors.
  26. Web site: McCormick. Erin. Finnie. Chuck. Gordon. Rachel. 1997-07-29. Cops Say Group Bike Needs Permits. 2020-12-29. SFGATE. en-US.
  27. Web site: 24 More Airport Czars Appointed | Aero-News Network.
  28. Web site: Oakland airport gets federal screeners. Category: Features from The Berkeley Daily Planet. California. Berkeley Daily Planet, Berkeley. www.berkeleydailyplanet.com. en. 2018-07-02.
  29. Web site: Port of Oakland and TSA Showcase State-of-the-Art Checked Baggage Screening System at Oakland International Airport. 22 June 2006.
  30. Lum. Nelson. January 2014. Director Fred Lau: A Man Who Simply Achieves, Grand Marshal of 2014 Lunar New Year Parade. dead. Cathay Dispatch. 1, 7–8. https://web.archive.org/web/20170217134659/http://www.cathaypost384.org/newsletter/2014/012014-newsletter.pdf. February 17, 2017.
  31. Web site: DHS Asian American Pacific Islander Network Home. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130507100934/http://dhsaapin.org/ . 2013-05-07 .
  32. Web site: Officers NAAALEC. www.naaalec.org. 2018-07-02.

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