The new city police chief came out to the Richmond District on Sept. 14 to talk

about crime issues and answer questions from the audience.

Chief William Scott. Photo by David Heller.

Chief William Scott was a long-time police officer in Los Angeles before accepting

the job in San Francisco; a dream come true, he said, because he always wanted

to live in the City.  Scott said his officers are accountable to the public and responsible for

good public service, such as responding promptly when the situation arises.

“Public safety has to be our number one priority,” he said.

Scott says the department is trying to find better ways to work with the city’s homeless

population other than just moving them along or giving them citations for

quality-of-life violations.

The chief also stated his support for tazers as a less-lethal tool when confronting

a suspect or mentally-ill person. He said there is a one-in-100,000 chance of someone

dying from a tazer shock, but when deployed it often eliminates the need for officers to

use deadly force.

The public safety meeting was arranged by District 1 Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer, and

was held at the Richmond Recreation Center.

Capt. Alexa O’Brien reported that the undercover burglary unit in Golden Gate Park was

disbanded, and that more officers will be covering the City on foot and on bicycles.

As well, retired SF Police officer and current Patrol Special officer Stanley Lee warned

the Chinese community about “blessing scams,” where elders are tricked into giving up

money and valuables because they are told they are sick, and without a “blessing” of the

person and their valuables they will not get better. Usually two or three scam artists

work together to trick the victim.

– Paul Kozakiewicz