Thomas Murphy, 61; Career Cop Briefly Led San Francisco Police
Thomas Murphy Jr., 61, who served as acting police chief of San Francisco in 1992 at the end of a three-decade career on the force, died Saturday at his home in San Francisco after a short battle with cancer.
A native of San Francisco, Murphy earned a bachelor’s degree at Sacramento State University and, later in his career, a master’s degree in public administration from USC.
Murphy joined the San Francisco police force after graduating from Sacramento State.
He started as a patrol officer, became interested in evidence gathering, and later headed the latent fingerprint unit, the crime lab and crime scene investigation unit.
He was promoted to lieutenant in 1984 and captain four years later. He became a deputy chief in 1990. In 1992, he served for six months as acting chief after his predecessor, the controversial Richard Hongisto, was fired by the city’s police commission.
He retired in November 1992, after being passed over for the position by Mayor Frank Jordan--himself a former police chief--who named Anthony Ribera to the post.
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