Gerald Robert "Jerry" Sanders (born July 14, 1950) is a Republican politician, Mayor of San Diego, California, and former Chief of Police..

Sanders was born 1950 in San Pedro, California. He went to San Diego State University and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He lives in the neighborhood of Kensington with his wife Rana Sampson. He has two daughters, Lisa and Jamie. His brother, Tom Sanders, is an Oscar nominated Production Designer.

During his senior year at San Diego State University, Jerry Sanders became a police officer with the San Diego Police Department. He served in the Police Department for 26 years, 1973–1999, ultimately serving as Chief of Police from 1993 until 1999. He was commander of the San Diego SWAT team during the 1984 San Ysidro McDonald's massacre, and his management of the tragedy, which resulted in twenty-one deaths, earned him criticism from the city's Mexican-American community. During his tenure as chief, he and the department's employees gained national recognition for their pioneering work with community policing and, with active assistance from the community, achieved a more than 40% decrease in crime during the six-year period he led the department. He also re-organized the department, making it more responsive to the community, reaching out to neighborhoods, and utilizing more than 1,000 volunteers to address San Diego's public safety needs.