San Francisco law enforcement veteran Bill Scott to be L.A. Metro’s police chief

Veteran law enforcement officer Bill Scott was named chief of Metro’s new in-house police department.

Scott announced his retirement as San Francisco chief of police Wednesday morning after eight years. He had previously spent 27 years with the Los Angeles Police Department and was a finalist for LAPD chief in 2018.

The Metro board of directors unanimously approved of a new police and emergency management department last year after a surge in crime and attacks against bus drivers, and after years of contracting to outside enforcement agencies to patrol the Los Angeles County transit system.

“Everyone deserves a safe Metro, and we needed to do something different to ensure safety on our system,” Metro Chief Executive Stephanie Wiggins said during a news conference Wednesday. “For many years, we’ve been operating under a multi-agency model — a system involving several law enforcement partners across jurisdictions. And while this model has served us well for many years, the question we had to ask ourselves was clear: Is this still the right approach for Metro today?”

Metro recently reported that crimes against people had risen by about 17% from January to February, but that February’s numbers were down 9% from last February.

Wiggins called Scott a “unicorn” who understood the needs of Metro and how to move forward under its safety plan. Scott will build the department and oversee training and staff selection and is tasked with leading security coordination for the 2026 World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympics.

Scott will assume his new role June 23. Metro previously said that the $193-million-a-year plan would take time to implement while terminating contracts with outside law enforcement.

“This job lets me bring everything that I learned from community policing to crisis response, from local engagement to national reforms to a brand new police department,” Scott said Wednesday. “I believe this is the right role at the right time for the right reason.”

Scott was tasked with tackling rising homicides in South L.A. while at the LAPD. He told The Times in 2016 that deployments to crime hot spots and cooperation from gang intervention workers to stop retaliatory killings were key to reducing violence. He left the department later that year to take the job in San Francisco.

The incoming chief said that he expects to hire just under 700 officers for the new department and that efforts will not be focused solely on enforcement but also on preventative strategies to ensure safety for riders and Metro employees. He did not share details for timing or plans.

The agency is working on multiple rail improvement and expansion projects. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who chairs the Metro board, said safety remains a priority.

“We know no matter how much we improve our service — faster routes, shorter wait times — none of it matters if people don’t feel safe using Metro.