San Francisco police Chief Bill Scott, one of the longest-serving chiefs in department history, is leaving his post to take the same role with another jurisdiction, he and Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Wednesday.
Sworn in back in 2017 by former Mayor Ed Lee, Scott has led public safety efforts through the COVID-19 pandemic, protests in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, and the fentanyl drug crisis.
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WATCH HEREDuring a morning news conference, Scott thanked many people, including the four mayors he worked with, other city leaders, various department heads and his fellow officers.
"All of the current and past members of the San Francisco Police Department during my tenure, thank you for working with me and moving this department forward," he said. "Thank you, San Francisco, for allowing me to be your chief of police."
Scott choked up when he thanked his wife, who encouraged him to apply for the chief's job years ago.
"She's been with me through thick and thin," Scott said. "I want to thank her. Thought I'd get through this without tearing up, but it happens."
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Scott leaves SFPD as the second longest-serving chief in the department's history.
Among his major accomplishments was the exit earlier this year from federal and then state oversight of more than 200 departmental reforms. He also leaves with the lowest crime rate in the city in 23 years. SFPD has also adopted the use of newer technologies that Scott said have helped reduce crime.
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SIGN UP "Automated license plate reader cameras, drones, and the use of existing surveillance cameras systems and new security camera systems in ways that we could not before," he said.
When Scott leaves the department in about six weeks, he will take over as chief of the Los Angeles Metro transit police. He spent most of his police career in Los Angeles, rising through the ranks of the LAPD.
Paul Yep, a former SFPD commander who Lurie named as his chief of public safety earlier this year, will serve as San Francisco's interim police chief until the city finds a permanent one. Yep has 28 years of service with the police department under his belt.
"I grew up in this city, and my north star has always been the safety of our neighborhoods," he said.
The San Francisco Police Commission will put together a list of candidates from which Lurie will select a new chief.
"I want to express my profound gratitude to the chief for his service to our city, and I wish him and his family nothing but the best," Lurie said.
Today, Chief Scott and I are announcing that he will be departing the San Francisco Police Department to pursue a new opportunity.
— Daniel Lurie 丹尼爾·羅偉 (@DanielLurie) May 7, 2025
I want to express my profound gratitude to the Chief for his service to our city, and I wish him and his family the best.
I’ve said since my… pic.twitter.com/19OCVRZuBi
Bay City News contributed to this report.
