After serving more than eight years as San Francisco’s police chief, Bill Scott is stepping down, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Wednesday.
Sworn in back in 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.
Scott thanked his colleagues and fellow city leaders for their collaboration on Wednesday.
“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 in an emotional speech. “Thank you, San Francisco, for allowing me to be your chief of police.”
Scott will pursue another role in a different jurisdiction.
“Thank you, San Francisco, for allowing me to be your chief of police.” SFPD Chief Bill Scott
“Chief Scott has been an unwavering champion of social reform and change in law enforcement, even among dissenting voices, blazing a trail many would not have dared to take,” San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said in a statement.
“With this new opportunity, I know his instincts and responsiveness to public safety concerns will serve his new community well,” Miyamoto said.
Paul Yep, a former SFPD commander who Lurie named as his chief of public safety earlier this year, will serve as interim police chief.
The San Francisco Police Commission will put together a list of candidates from which Lurie will select a new chief.
The announcement sparked a wave of reactions from city leaders reflecting on Scott’s influence and supporting him in his next journey.
“Bill Scott has been an accomplished reformer and extraordinary leader,” Supervisor Matt Dorsey said in a statement. “On the occasion of his announced retirement today, I’m incredibly grateful for his friendship and his service to our city, and I wish him the very best on his career’s next chapter.”