Introduction
David Ramon "Dave" Toschi (July 11, 1931 – January 6, 2018) was an American law enforcement officer in the San Francisco Police Department, where he served from 1952 to 1987. He is best known for his role as a chief investigator in the Zodiac Killer case, which he began work on after the murder of taxi driver Paul Stine.
Biography
Dave Toschi was born as David Ramon Toschi on July 11, 1931, in San Francisco, California, to Sam and Millie Toschi.
After graduating from Galileo High School in San Francisco, he joined the US Army and became a member of the 24th Infantry Division during the Korean War.
He was honorably discharged in 1952, after which he returned to San Francisco and joined San Francisco Police Department, where he served from 1952 to 1987.
While at SFPD, he was involved in the Zodiac Killer case, which he and his partner, Inspector Bill Armstrong, began to work on after the murder of taxi driver Paul Stine. He was also assigned to the Zebra murders team, and in 1985 received a meritorious conduct award for curtailing the career of a rapist/burglar.
He became known for his dress style which included bow-ties, "loud" plaid suits, bounteous curls, and an exaggerated trench-coat.
Shortly after he left the S.F.P.D., Toschi was the Director of Security for St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco's Mission District. Toschi was the vice president of North Star Security Services in Daly City. He was an advisor to the producers of the 2007 film Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Anthony Edwards.
In popular culture
Actor Mark Ruffalo portrayed Toschi in the David Fincher film Zodiac.
George Lucas gave an interview to Empire magazine once stating that the Zodiac murders captured his imagination at the time as a high schooler and then college student at USC, and he always felt like Toschi was harshly judged for how the investigation was handled. He explained this is why he named a location on Tatooine Toschi Station, "in honor of the SFPD inspector."
Steve McQueen copied Toschi's distinctive style of quick-draw shoulder-holster by wearing his gun upside down for the 1968 movie Bullitt (directed by Peter Yates). McQueen also modeled much of his Bullitt character on Toschi.
Screenwriters Harry Julian Fink and Rita M. Fink also modeled "Harry Callahan," the main character of Dirty Harry portrayed by Clint Eastwood, on Toschi; the film's villain, based on the Zodiac Killer, was called "The Scorpio Killer" (portrayed by Andrew J. Robinson).