About this episode

Former SFPD officer Paul Lozada discusses his undercover experiences and the impact of his diverse background on his policing methods.

🎥 Episode 150 Former San Francisco Police Department officer Paul Lozada shares his incredible undercover journey in this powerful Reasons We Serve interview. With Filipino-Italian heritage that let him seamlessly blend into Black, Asian, Latino, and other communities, Paul worked gang units and narcotics operations, building trust and eliciting confessions without force. Hear how his "street education" from maximum-security inmates shaped his non-intrusive interviewing style, why he wrote the memoir Officer 1Eight7, and his praise for the host’s authentic approach. He also explains his involvement with Hollywood as a technical advisor and contributor to Training Day and the Equalizer films, and shares how faith shaped his policing and later work as a sheriff’s chaplain. A must-watch for fans of true crime, undercover police stories, San Francisco PD history, and anyone interested in how diverse officers navigated high-stakes gang and drug investigations. For SFPD gang unit stories, undercover cop interviews, Filipino-Italian police experiences, or Officer 1Eight7 book insights, LIKE if you love real LE stories, SUBSCRIBE for more badge-deep interviews, and COMMENT: What’s your…

People in this episode

Guest: Paul Lozada

Topics covered

• undercover police work
• gang investigations
• narcotics operations
• memoir
• true crime
• diversity in policing

Keywords

• undercover
• gang units
• narcotics
• police memoir
• SFPD
• true crime
• Filipino-Italian

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: San Francisco Police Department

Books & works: Officer 1Eight7, Training Day, the Equalizer

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