New SFPD Chief Pledges Safety, Respect

San Francisco's new police chief has been sworn in, pledging to be someone who's "accessible" and a "relationship builder."

Bill Scott, 52, who's taking over a department that's struggling with racism, homophobia, use of force, and other issues, told the packed crowd in the City Hall rotunda Monday, January 23 that these are "very challenging times for law enforcement in the city and in our nation," but "I will do everything in my power" to keep the city safe while respecting people's constitutional rights.

Scott, who's African-American and had been a Los Angeles deputy police chief, replaces acting Chief Toney Chaplin, who took over the department in May after ex-Police Chief Greg Suhr resigned.

Several protesters tried to interrupt Scott Monday, but he continued speaking as they shouted their mostly unintelligible remarks.

He said he expects officers to "revere the sanctity of human life" and "prevent crime and disorder, not just react to it."

Referring to two of the city's most vexing issues, he also said, "I understand the complexities of dealing with mental illness and homelessness."

Lee, who appointed Scott in December, said Monday that San Francisco strives to balance "public safety and community trust," and Scott had used "community-based strategies to decrease violence" in some of Los Angeles's toughest neighborhoods.

The mayor said he's "confident" that Scott's taking over "will be our city's next step on the path to improvement and reform."

Hundreds of people, including Chaplin, Suhr, police officers, city supervisors, and others attended Monday's ceremony.

Many had called for Lee to fire Suhr after several controversial incidents, including fatal police shootings of people of color and a scandal in which numerous officers were accused of exchanging racist and homophobic text messages.

Recent reports by the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services branch and the Blue Ribbon Panel on Transparency, Accountability and Fairness in Law Enforcement, launched by District Attorney George Gasc-n, pointed to problems with the SFPD's use of force policies, among other issues.

Scott, who's originally from Alabama, joined the LAPD in 1989 and worked in the agency's patrol, detectives, gangs, internal affairs, and other bureaus over the years. He was promoted to commander in 2012 and became a deputy chief in 2015. Most recently, he oversaw the department's South Bureau, which has over 1,700 employees and serves almost 640,000 residents, according to Lee's office.

The LAPD has "enacted dozens of major reforms" in the last 16 years, the mayor's office said in a December news release, including use of force investigations and improving the ways it tracks officer misconduct.