Officer Jane Warner Plaza
Shortly after the intersection of Castro and Market was converted into a plaza, it was named in honor of our local beat cop. It was the first time I’d ever been to a dedication for someone I knew and sometimes when I hear it called “Jane Warner Plaza” out loud it gives a little bit of pride joy that her name lives on. The plaque reads:
Jane Warner spent two decades keeping the peace in the city’s Castro, Noe Valley and Mission neighborhoods as a San Francisco Patrol Special Police Officers. To her many friends, she was known simply as “Officer Jane”.
She was dedicated not only to the business owners who contracted with her for neighborhood safety services, but also to protect the residents and visitors in the area she patrolled. She was a long time columnist for the Bay Area Reporter, penning the LGBT paper crime column.
Her career began in Hawaii, first as a Deputy Sheriff and later as a undercover police officer for the Honolulu Police Department. In 1991, she became the first woman and out lesbian officer the San Anselmo Police Department in Marin County.
In addition to her love of law enforcement, Jane Warner had a soft spot for animals and dogs in particular, captured her heart.
The City and County of San Francisco dedicated the Jane Warner Plaza on what would have been her 54th birthday, November 7th, 2010.
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Exact location: the corner of Castro and Market Streets in San Francisco, CA 94114.