SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco native, Derrick Lew, was appointed as the new, permanent Police Chief of the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on Wednesday, December 3.
In May 2025, Lew was appointed deputy chief by then-Interim Chief Paul Yep. During this position, he led the Field Operations Bureau that oversaw patrols at all 10 districts, as well as Drug Market Agency Coordination Center (DMACC).
In 2023, Lew was promoted to commander by then-Chief Bill Scott. He ran DMACC, coordinating with running multiagency efforts to address open-air drug markets. In 2023, Lew graduated from Federal Bureau of Investigators (FBI) National Academy, which is a 10-week program for senior law enforcement officers.
In 2021, he was promoted to captain at San Francisco Police Department Ingleside Police Station. In 2017, he was promoted lieutenant, to establish the department’s Crime Gun Investigations Center (CGIC), tracking and identifying shooting suspects. From 2014 to 2017, he was assigned the narcotic division, working with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) task force. In 2010, he was promoted to sergeant, where he worked at the Central Station.
In 2006, he was nearly shot at while on duty in the Bayview-Hunters Point District. His partner was wounded. He and his partner, who managed to survive the incident, received the Medal of Honor.
In 2003, he joined the SFPD by working as a police officer at the San Francisco Police Department Taraval Police Station. He entered the San Francisco Police Academy in 2002. He graduated from St. Ignatius College Prepatory in San Francisco in 1991.
