SAN FRANCISCO—In his first major move towards reforming the San Francisco Police Department, Chief William Scott announced the promotion of six command staff members to new leadership positions.

The promotions include: Robert Moser to Deputy Chief, Michael Connolly to Deputy Chief, David Lazar to Commander, Peter Walsh to Commander, Daniel Perea to Commander, Gregory Yee to Commander.

These changes to the organization of the SFPD indicate the command staff now consists of one Chief of Police, two Assistant Chiefs, five Deputy Chiefs, eight Commanders, three Directors and 24 Captains. It will cost the city about $10 million due to increased salaries and the costs associated with re-organization. Lazar and Perea were previously captains of neighborhood district police stations and will have to be replaced.

“Public safety is the number one priority for SFPD, and we have to implement the Department of Justice CRI recommendations while protecting the public,” said Chief Scott. “This new structure is about organizational effectiveness and putting in place a team that will give the Department the best opportunity to implement the reforms in a successful and a sustainable way while maintaining public safety. The talented members of our command staff reflect the diversity of our Department and will be instrumental in ensuring that we meet our mission to complete these reforms.”

Chief Scott was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee, as the replacement for interim Chief Toney Chaplin. He was sworn in on January 23 amidst calls for reforming the SFPD. The department is implementing a series of reforms recommended by a U.S. Department of Justice after a report was released in October 2016. The department recently adopted body cameras and finalized a revised use of force policy in an attempt to reduce the number of officer-involved shootings.