Phil Green February 14, 1940 -- February 10, 2013 His life nearly came full circle, within four days of achieving another glorious milestone. To all who knew him and those who loved him dearly, Novato's Phil Green lived life to the fullest, was the happiest he's been in years and was still making people laugh right up until his last night. Phillip Green, who dedicated 50 years of his life to law enforcement in Marin County, died quietly in his sleep Sunday, February 10 while visiting with relatives in Southern California. He was 72. A remembrance and celebration of Chief Green's life will be held at the Redwood High School gymnasium in Larkspur Saturday, February 23 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Chief Green was an innovator, a visionary and a man of deep conviction when it came to law enforcement, his peers said. He also had a lively sense of humor and often times used it to break the ice or provide some levity to nearly all situations. To many of his police chief colleagues, Green was "Yoda," of Stars Wars fame, the man whose opinion was solicited often and whose words were most respected. He was a patriarch to many in Marin County law enforcement and a role model to both of his sons, Phil and Lawrence, who followed in his footsteps and became police officers. Phil is a sergeant with Oakland and Lawrence is an officer with UC-Berkeley. Born in San Francisco, Phil Green graduated from Westmoor High School in Daly City. In 1976, he graduated from Golden Gate University, San Francisco, with a Baccalaureate degree in Public Administration and in 1978, received a Master's Degree in Public Administration. In 1981, he graduated from the F.B.I. National Academy. He was also a former member of the United States Marine Corps of which he was extremely proud. In 1961, at the age of 21, Chief Green began his career in law enforcement with San Rafael. He rose through the ranks and eventually became chief of Corte Madera, Larkspur and then Twin Cities Police Authority when the two agencies consolidated in 1980. Chief Green also formed the first special response unit in the county and established numerous programs, especially dealing with domestic violence, child abuse and drug education. He nearly lost his life in a shootout with drug dealers in 1971 and received the last rites. Fortunately, with time, he recovered. When he retired from Twin Cities Aug. 23, 2010, Chief Green was the longest tenured chief among 330 in the state of California. A plaque in the lobby of the new Central Marin Police Authority bears his name. In retirement, Phil loved to spend time with his grandchildren, play golf, gardening, and working around his home. He was an avid sports fan, and actively supported the San Francisco 49ers and San Francisco Giants. Survivors include his wife Chris, sons Phil (Nikki), Lawrence (Monica), a daughter Vicki Zink (Terry), stepson Jim Fife, stepdaughter Denise Repp (Matt); as well as nine grandchildren, Justin, Laurel, Eli Kaitlyn, Clayton, Tyler, A.J., Alan, McKenzie; brothers Russ (Valerie), Randall (Karen), sisters Meredith Young, Shelly Caalim (Mike), and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Chief Green's name be made to the Central Marin Police Authority Police Explorer program, Post 400 or the Special Olympics of Northern California.
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Published in Marin Independent Journal on Feb. 20, 2013
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