SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco’s incoming mayor, Daniel Lurie, introduced he created a brand new public security czar place, dubbed “Chief of Public Safety,” on Thursday.
The security czar’s “primary focus” will probably be zeroed-in on “neighborhood safety, street behavior, emergency preparedness and response,” Lurie’s spokesperson wrote. The Chief of Public Security will coordinate a number of metropolis departments.
Lurie is simply days away from taking on San Francisco’s prime political put up as incumbent Mayor London Breed makes her exit.
Daniel Lurie (left), London Breed, and Aaron Peskin attended a mayoral debate on the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco on June 12, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photos)
Lurie is vowing to restructure the mayor’s workplace to boost effectiveness and accountability. A former San Francisco Police Division commander, Paul Yep, was picked for the brand new security chief place, Lurie mentioned.
“I’m proud to announce Paul Yep as the first ever Chief of Public Safety. Paul has dedicated his career to keeping San Franciscans safe and there is no one better for this critical job. Together, we will support our law enforcement and ensure that every resident, worker, and visitor is safe in our city,” Lurie mentioned.
Yep mentioned, “I look forward to leveraging my experience to help the mayor-elect’s team execute his vision for building stronger and safer communities across our city.”
Yep will coordinate with the next departments: SFPD, grownup and juvenile probation, police accountability, emergency administration, hearth, sheriff inspector normal, sufferer and witness rights. He can even function the administration’s level of contact with the San Francisco Sheriff, District Legal professional, and the Public Defender.
“Paul Yep is a thoughtful servant leader who is deeply passionate about enhancing safety for every San Franciscan,” mentioned Sheriff Paul Miyamoto. “I have known Paul personally for over 35 years since before our law enforcement careers. My office looks forward to working closely with Paul and the Mayor-elect to make San Francisco the safest big city in the nation.”
Paul Yep
Thirty-three homicides unfolded in San Francisco in 2024, a 34% p.c drop in comparison with 2023.
Final week, San Francisco Police Chief Invoice Scott proclaimed that SF is already “one of the safest big cities in the country.”
Scott mentioned, “The SFPD has made tremendous progress in reducing violent crime. I also want to offer my condolences to the families of victims this year. Our officers are working hard to bring you justice as they continue to work diligently to continue this downward trend in violence.”
San Francisco had a violent begin to 2025 when a capturing broke out within the Bernal Heights neighborhood that left one individual useless Thursday morning. A second sufferer suffered traumatic accidents.
Two hours later, at 10 a.m., a triple capturing occurred at 833 Bryant Road within the SoMa neighborhood, firefighters mentioned. Victims have been handled for a number of gunshot wounds.
On Wednesday, simply 25 minutes into the brand new 12 months, a person was shot to demise at a enterprise on South Van Ness Avenue, police mentioned. The suspected gunman, 29-year-old Jose Rivera Flores, was booked into jail on suspicion of murder.
Yep served as an SFPD commander till his retirement in July of 2023. He was beforehand a commanding officer for the Central, Northern, Richmond police stations. Yep additionally labored in additional specialised assignments comparable to home violence, vice and human trafficking, and neighborhood relations. He’s an alumni of Lowell Excessive College and San Francisco State College.
