SAN FRANCISCO—On Tuesday, December 20, San Francisco Mayor Edward M. Lee announced the hiring of veteran Los Angeles Deputy Chief, William Scott, 52, as the new police chief for the San Francisco Police Department.
Scott has been with the Los Angeles Police Department for more than 27 years. He has spent the past two years with the LAPD working in neighborhoods with strong gang violence and high homicide rates. He is a graduate of the Senior Management institute of Policing. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Alabama. Scott has been a valued member of the Department’s command staff and has played an integral role in building bridges and strengthening relationships in Los Angeles’ South Bureau. In recent years he is credited with increasing public trust and enhancing the bond between the public and the police. He also helped to mobilize our Community Safety Operations Center (CSOC) earlier this year when South Bureau experienced double digit spikes in violent crime.
According to San Francisco City Hall, the goal in choosing Scott as the head of the San Francisco Police Department is to have him lead the police force in implementing broad changes in the city due to several shootings of African Americans and Latinos.
The SFPD is being reviewed by the United States Justice Department due to the fatal police shooting of an African American man in December 2015.
In October 2016, the U.S. Justice Department recommended 272 changes that needed to be made to the SFPD after concluding that the force needed to track, train and discipline its officers better.
“The Bay Area’s gain is LA’s loss,” said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. “Bill’s tactical skills, intelligence, and kindness embody the spirit of our department. We credit his leadership in the successes we had stemming the surge of violent crime in the South Bureau.”
Written By Joy Kalu and Casey Jacobs
