March 1, 2011
The central emblem on the patch of the San Francisco, California, Police Department depicts a phoenix, a mythological bird. According to ancient mythology, a phoenix’s tears have magical healing powers, and the creature experiences rebirth from its own ashes after death. Like the phoenix, San Francisco rose from the ashes after a devastating fire and earthquake in 1906. In the gold ribbon below the graphic reads the city’s motto, which translates to “Gold in Peace, Iron in War.”

The central emblem on the patch of the San Francisco, California, Police Department depicts a phoenix, a mythological bird. According to ancient mythology, a phoenix’s tears have magical healing powers, and the creature experiences rebirth from its own ashes after death. Like the phoenix, San Francisco rose from the ashes after a devastating fire and earthquake in 1906. In the gold ribbon below the graphic reads the city’s motto, which translates to “Gold in Peace, Iron in War.”

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