A San Francisco native and 22-year veteran of the SF Police Department, SFPD Deputy Chief Derrick Lew has just been named the permanent new SF Police Chief. And, interestingly, he was once shot by London Breed’s cousin.

Say what you want about former SFPD Chief Bill Scott, who resigned in May (and might have been pushed out by new Mayor Daniel Lurie), Scott's eight-year tenure made him the longest-serving SFPD chief in 55 years. He took over a department in disarray over a racist text message scandal, and most importantly, crime went down significantly on Chief Scott’s watch.  

Regardless, Scott’s out now, and we’ve had previously retired SFPD commander Paul Yep as Interim Police Chief since June. Yet that “Interim” period is now over, as KPIX reports Mayor Lurie has appointed 22-year SFPD veteran Derrick Lew as the new SFPD Chief of Police.  

Lew had his introductory press conference with Lurie Thursday morning, which is seen above. (As usual with SFGovTV, the first ten minutes of the broadcast is dead air.) Lew does not become the acting police chief until December 22.

“This is a new generation of leadership for the San Francisco Police Department and a new chapter of public safety in San Francisco,” Lurie said when introducing Lew.

“I’m thrilled to lead a department that is the gold standard of policing,” Lew said at the press conference. “As your chief, I will fight for you, and work to get more officers into this department with the urgency this moment demands. I’ve served SFPD for two decades, and I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.”

The Chronicle has a very fascinating biographical tidbit about Lew’s 22 years on the SFPD force. Lew was once shot on the job in 2006, and his bulletproof vest with a hole in it still hangs in a case at the Bayview Station (the bullet went through the vest and did not pierce Lew’s body). The suspect who fired that shot at him was former Mayor London Breed’s cousin Charles Breed. Charles Breed had just killed two people, and Lew’s partner shot and killed Breed in the exchange.

Otherwise, Lew joined the SFPD in 2003 and worked the beat at Bayview Station. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2010, and helped establish the department’s Crime Gun Investigations Center in 2017. He was named the Captain of Ingleside Station in 2021, and then-Chief Scott promoted Lew to run the newly formed Drug Market Agency Coordination Center when that was established in 2023.  

Now in 18 more days, Derrick Lew will have former Chief Scott’s old job, and will be the new head of the San Francisco Police Department.

Related: SFPD Chief Bill Scott Is Stepping Down — Did Lurie Push Him Out? [SFist]

Image: SFGovTV