Derrick Lew was sworn in as the new chief of the San Francisco Police Department on Wednesday. City officials say public safety has to be a top priority moving forward, and they believe Lew is the man to get the job done.
San Francisco’s new chief of police was officially sworn in. The city’s leaders say public safety has to be a priority, and that Derrick Lew is the man to lead the department.Â
The chief said the city is on the right track and committed to working hard to keep it that way.
The ceremony
In a ceremony under San Francisco City Hall’s rotunda, hundreds of police officers, first responders and city leaders gathered for the official swearing in of Lew as the city’s new chief of police. The new chief says he understands that public safety is critical for all the city’s aspirations.
“Safety is the foundation upon which everything else is built. Our schools. Our businesses. Our quality of life,” Lew said. “As chief I will never compromise in fulfilling that basic essential function of police work.”
The new chief said he will maintain the progress the city has seen so far, with a historically low homicide rate, and lower violent and property crime rates as well.Â
A word from the top
Mayor Daniel Lurie, who appointed Chief Lew to the position in December, said with the chief’s experience running the city’s efforts to squash drug markets, he’s the right man at the right time.
“With the momentum we created last year, the moment we created in the last year, now is the time for all of us in this distinguished crowd, every one of us, now is the time for all of us to step on the accelerator,” Lurie said.
San Francisco’s District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said she has a long working relationship with the chief and the police and prosecutors will continue to work together toward a common goal.
“Chief Lew and I have been working together to tackle the drug markets for over three years now and it absolutely gave us a head start in understanding what partnership looks like, both in general, but with each other,” Jenkins said.
What the locals want
People living and working in San Francisco have a number of priorities on which they’d like the new chief to focus. “For the most part, local crime and keeping the streets clean,” said Kalan Williams.
Benjamin Kaliko wants the chief to focus on “Violent crime! That’s supposed to be day and night.”
But, Namiko Morales had a different take:
“Not focusing so much on crime as much as building better relationships with people.”
Chief Lew is a native San Franciscan who came up through the department. Members of the top brass and the rank and file have told KTVU they also think he’s the right man for the job.
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