[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 78 (Thursday, June 7, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1051-E1052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO SAN FRANCISCO POLICE CHIEF, THOMAS CAHILL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2001

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life and work 
of San Francisco Police Chief Thomas Cahill as he celebrates his 90th 
birthday today, June 8, 2001. The residents of San Francisco owe him 
great thanks for his visionary leadership and tireless service.
  Mr. Cahill has spent a lifetime defending the streets and people of 
San Francisco, but his journey did not begin there. On February 2, 
1930, at the age of 16, Mr. Cahill said goodbye to his native Ireland. 
Mr. Cahill did not immediately begin his life in San Francisco fighting 
crime. He credits his first job as an ice

[[Page E1052]]

deliveryman with giving him a map of San Francisco in his head, which 
later proved to be useful during his beat walks.
  Mr. Cahill was appointed to the San Francisco Police Department on 
July 13, 1942. He rose rapidly through the police ranks, from walking a 
beat to the Accident Investigation Bureau to the Detective Bureau and 
the Homicide Detail, where he rose to the rank of Inspector. In 
February of 1956, Mr. Cahill was appointed Deputy Chief of Police. He 
was appointed Chief of Police in September of 1958. Chief Cahill's 
swift rise was unprecedented, as were his accomplishments as Chief of 
Police. He introduced the Police Cadet Program, the Tactical Crime 
Prevention Squad and the Canine Unit among others.
  President Lyndon Johnson appointed Chief Cahill to serve as a member 
of the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration 
of Justice in 1965. Chief Cahill was the only Chief of Police to 
receive such distinction. Chief Cahill also served as the President of 
the International Association of Chiefs of Police from October 1968 to 
October 1969, representing 65 nations in the free world.
  In 1970, Chief Cahill retired from the police department after 28 
years of dedicated service so that he could spend more time with his 
family, but his dedication to our city never wavered.
  It is my honor to recognize the achievements of my constituent and 
treasured San Francisco figure, Chief Thomas Cahill. In 1994, San 
Francisco honored the Police Chief by renaming the Hall of Justice in 
San Francisco as the Thomas J. Cahill Hall of Justice. San Francisco is 
unquestionably a better city because of his dedicated service. Chief 
Cahill's commitment to the San Francisco community and his family earn 
him the respect and admiration of all who know him. I join his family 
and friends in wishing him a Happy 90th Birthday!

                          ____________________