Chief Scott said in a press release that "Chief Sanders should be remembered for a trailblazing legacy that went far beyond the barrier he broke as San Francisco's first Black chief of police."
Chief Sanders first joined SFPD in 1964 as a young Army veteran, earning widespread respect from the city's diverse communities.
During his career, Chief Sanders served as a beat cop, homicide inspector and member of the command staff, and is known for "heroically risking his ascent through the ranks to remedy the injustices of racial bias."
He was a founding member of Officers for Justice, which filed a discrimination suit against the department in 1973. "He was the first police officer to testify in federal court about the racism he endured in service to a City he loved and a police department he ultimately made better and more inclusive," Chief Scott said.