Affirmative action
Fred Lau always wanted to be a San Francisco cop, so much so that he
literally hung upside down in hopes of getting the job.
In 1970, there was a height requirement to join the police force and
the 5-foot-7 Lau was an inch short. He tried hanging upside down from a
bar to stretch his body. It didn't work.
What did work was pressure from civil rights activists. The city
dropped the height requirement in 1971 …
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…in the country.
Chief of Police Lau broke through another glass ceiling.
Abolishing the San Francisco department's height restriction gave Lau a
chance to fulfill a dream and be a pioneer. He is the only Chinese
American to lead a big city police department.
``The fact that it's a very strong position, it's a very visible
position and a very non-Asian position is very important,'' Lau said.
``It's very contrary to the stereotype.''
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