William Scott

San Francisco Police Chief William "Bill" Scott was sworn in by Mayor Ed Lee on January 23, 2017, after serving 27 years in the Los Angeles Police Department where he rose to the rank of Deputy Chief. 

He has been focused on implementing 21^st Century Policing reforms to address public safety and reduce crime in San Francisco.

Chief Scott’s reform efforts have been nationally recognized as a way to build trust with communities and improve a sense of legitimacy in policing that have led to better public safety outcomes for San Francisco.

The reform project began with 272 recommendations from the Obama administration’s Department of Justice. When then-Attorney General Jeffrey Sessions abandoned to national reform project in 2017, Chief Scott reached out to the California Department of Justice to partner in overseeing the SFPD’s voluntary reform initiative. 

The SFPD submitted the final responses to the Department of Justice’s reform recommendations on April 1, 2024. Chief Scott has created a foundation to ensure the department continues to build on its reform initiative.

While working to establish a national model for police reform, Chief Scott has led the department through challenging times, including the global COVID-19 pandemic and a national crisis in policing, following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 

Violent crime in San Francisco has remained far below other major cities in the United States while clearances for violent crimes like homicides are well above the national average. 

Chief Scott has embraced new and innovative ways to address some of San Francisco’s biggest challenges, like auto burglaries, organized retail theft, and other property crime. He developed new crime-fighting strategies and implemented technologies like ALPR cameras and drones that have had significant results in identifying and arresting suspects.

Chief Scott grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and is married with three children. He attended the University of Alabama where he earned a degree in accounting. He is also a graduate of Senior Management of Institute of Policing.