Mayor Daniel Lurie of San Francisco on Wednesday named Derrick Lew, a veteran officer, to be the city’s next police chief.
Mr. Lew’s appointment, by a mayor who had made cracking down on crime and reducing homelessness staples of his platform, comes months after President Trump floated the possibility of sending National Guard troops to the city.
Mr. Lew, who was born and raised in San Francisco, has worked in the police department for over 20 years, according to a statement from the mayor’s office. His experience includes overseeing the department’s major operations against drug dealing, Mr. Lurie’s office said.
San Francisco, a progressive city, has long been criticized by conservatives over its problems with drug use and homelessness. Mr. Trump has ordered federal troops into Democratic-led cities including Los Angeles, describing the deployment as necessary for restoring order.
San Francisco avoided being a target of Mr. Trump’s crackdown in the first months of his second term, but he said in August that the city was among the places where he might send the National Guard. “You look at what the Democrats have done to San Francisco — they’ve destroyed it.” He reiterated that intention in October.
“As chief, I will continue acting with urgency to get more officers into the department, to attack the drug crisis, to improve street conditions, and to ensure San Francisco remains one of the safest cities in the country,” Mr. Lew said in a statement released by the mayor’s office.
Mr. Lurie said in that statement that public safety would remain his top priority. Since being elected, he has cracked down on the handing out of drug paraphernalia and helped spur more economic development downtown.
In a poll commissioned by the San Francisco Chronicle and conducted in July, a majority of respondents approved of Mr. Lurie’s performance. Mr. Lurie, though, has also been able to claim credit for trends that were already heading in a favorable direction for the city, such as a decrease in crime rates and more arrests of fentanyl dealers.
Unlike other prominent California leaders, he has avoided weighing in on national issues and has avoided mentioning Mr. Trump by name this year.
John Yoon contributed reporting.
Yan Zhuang is a Times reporter in Seoul who covers breaking news.
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