LA Metro names new chief of transit police: former San Francisco police chief Bill Scott
LA Metro names new chief of transit police: former San Francisco police chief Bill Scott
LA Metro took a major step toward creating its own, in-house police department that will soon patrol transit stations, buses and trains in place of local law enforcement by announcing its new chief of police on Wednesday, May 7.
William “Bill” Scott, San Francisco police chief, was named the Los Angeles County transit agency’s top cop in a surprise announcement made at LA Metro’s security operations headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.
Scott served the past eight years as the San Francisco police chief and resigned from his post earlier Wednesday. He spent about three decades working for the Los Angeles Police Department, including a stint overseeing the LAPD South Bureau.
“I’m ready. I’m grateful. And I’m all in,” said Scott, who was introduced as the transit agency’s chief of police and emergency management. He will begin on June 23.
Earlier in the day, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Scott announced the chief was departing his Bay Area role, declaring that that the homicide rate and overall crime had declined broadly during his tenure.
Metro’s 13-member board of directors voted on June 22, 2023 to pursue the creation of an in-house transit police department that would replace contracts with its current law enforcement agencies: LAPD, LA County Sheriff’s Department and Long Beach Police Department.
An implementation plan was formulated by staff and accepted by the board in November 2024. Directors said the new Metro police force would allow the agency to tailor services to hot spots, enable more control over placement of officers, and provide more accountability.
The Metro plan claims it could create and run an internal police department with 290 field officers for $134.5 million annually, cheaper than the $173 million a year it currently pays.
Sheriff Robert Luna, in an eight-page letter to Metro’s CEO Stephanie Wiggins, disagreed. He said the study doesn’t account for start-up costs, for pensions, facilities nor for liability costs. His analysis shows the idea would cost $433 million more over five years than the status quo.
Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries 1 million boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and six rail lines.
With Beyoncé's Grammy Wins, Black Women in Country Are Finally Getting Their Due
February 17, 2025
Bad Bunny's "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" Tells Puerto Rico's History
February 17, 2025
Comments 0