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.”](https://leb.fbi.gov/image-repository/san-francisco-california-police-department.jpeg/@@images/image/large)
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.”