In the late 1960s, I was just one of hundreds of kids being raised in St. Paul’s Catholic Church, located on Church Street between Valley Street and 29th Street in San Francisco. Much of my free time outside of school and chores was spent with friends in the upper schoolyard or the lower schoolyard of St. Paul’s Intermediate School.

The upper schoolyard was across the street from St. Paul’s High School for girls on 29th Street. I recall one day when there were a lot of people and uniformed San Francisco police officers standing around a tree on the sidewalk in front of the high school. I did not pay much attention to it since I was playing with my friends in the schoolyard. Much later, I learned that the reason for all those people and police officers was that a plaque was being placed on the sidewalk and a tree planted in front of the school to memorialize a San Francisco police officer who was killed in the line of duty. I remember seeing the plaque many times as I passed along the sidewalk, but I never gave it a second thought.

He did not know the officer’s name, but he said his last name started with a “B.” I screamed out, “That’s Brodnik! Joe Brodnik.”

Fast forward to 1989 when I entered the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) and became more aware of the history of the department and those who had served and those who had fallen in the line of duty. I researched and learned that the plaque on 29th Street was placed there in memory of Officer Joseph Brodnik, who was killed in the line of duty on May 1, 1969. Below is the tribute to Officer Brodnik from the Officer Down Memorial Page. 

Officer Joseph Brodnik was shot and killed when he and his partner stopped two suspicious youths at 431 Alvarado Street. Officer Brodnik and his partner were working a burglary suppression unit in plain clothes and were operating an unmarked car in the Mission District. 

The suspects were part of a larger group of seven juveniles, and they had just committed a daytime burglary. During the confrontation, one of the youths grabbed Officer Brodnik’s partner’s gun and shot Officer Brodnik, killing him. His partner sustained severe injuries from being beaten by the juveniles.

Six suspects were arrested and acquitted at trial. The seventh suspect fled the country. The suspect believed to have killed Officer Brodnik was later killed in prison. He had been sent to prison for committing an armed robbery in which he was shot and wounded by a San Francisco police officer.

Officer Brodnik had served with the San Francisco Police Department for 13 years. He is survived by his wife and three children. One of Officer Brodnik’s sons later became a San Francisco police officer.

During my career with the SFPD, I was assigned to a number of different units, from patrol to investigations. In the mid-1990s, I was transferred and assigned to the Narcotics Division. It was there that I met Sergeant Bob Brodnik, the son of Officer Joseph Brodnik. After Bob and I got to know each other, he shared the story of his father’s time in the SFPD and how his dad was murdered. I told Bob that I remembered the plaque on the sidewalk of 29th Street. He informed me that the plaque was no longer there, and was possibly stolen. I thought that it was a shame.

Fast forward again to April 27 of this year. I was at a wedding for the daughter of an old school friend from St. Paul’s, sitting at a table of old childhood friends. One of them told me that he had heard that the plaque from 29th Street honoring some fallen officer had been discovered at the rectory at St. Paul’s. He did not know the officer’s name, but he said his last name started with a “B.” I screamed out, “That’s Brodnik! Joe Brodnik.”  

The next Monday, I called Father Mario Farana, the pastor at St. Paul’s. I remember Father Mario when he was first ordained, and his first assignment was St. Paul’s Church back in 1978. He has been the longtime pastor of the church and is just a great guy. Father Mario told me that a staff member named Laurie was recently clearing out boxes from the safe in the rectory and came across the plaque. Father Mario believes that the plaque was probably removed from the sidewalk when St Paul’s High School was sold and redeveloped into condominiums in 1996. To avoid losing the plaque to the scrap pile, it was saved and placed in the custody of the church.

I told Father Mario about the circumstances surrounding Officer Brodnik’s murder and that his son, Bob, would probably cherish the plaque if it could be returned to him. Of course, Father Mario was on board and loved the idea. I immediately contacted Bob and told him the story. Bob was overwhelmed and could not believe the plaque still existed. 

On May 3, 2024, 55 years after the murder of Officer Joseph Brodnik, the plaque memorializing him by the Upper Noe Valley Neighborhood Council was presented to Sergeant Bob Brodnick (ret.) by Father Mario Farana at St. Paul’s. A fallen SFPD officer not forgotten.