San Francisco Sheriff Vicky Hennessy Reflects On Her Final Days In Law Enforcement

On Christmas Eve in 1975, Vicki Hennesy worked her first shift inside a San Francisco jail. Decades later, she went on to be elected San Francisco’s first female sheriff. Before Hennessy was elected in 2015, the department was rocked by scandals. Two inmates had escaped, and deputies were accused of forcing inmates to take part in gladiator-style fights. Hennesy ran to bring stability and trust back to the office. As sheriff, she introduced policies to make conditions safer for transgender inmates. She wiped out costs people had to pay for electronic monitoring and launched a policy to make phone calls free for people behind bars.