Paul Yep, a former commander with the San Francisco Police Department, was named by Lurie to be the city's first chief of public safety on Thursday.
The newly created role will coordinate with city departments that involve public safety and will report directly to the mayor. The new department specifically deals with police accountability, as well as victim and witness rights.
It’s part of a restructuring of the mayor's office that Lurie promised during his campaign that he said will bring more accountability to city government.
According to Lurie’s office, Yep was born and raised in San Francisco. He was a 28-year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department. Yep has been serving as a vice president at Academy of Arts University since his retirement from the department in 2023.
Yep was accused in a 2018 civil lawsuit of rear-ending a man backing out of his driveway in Burlingame as Yep drove an unmarked police cruiser.
The man alleged in court filings that the event caused physical injuries and intentional emotional distress to him and his wife.
The couple also alleged a series of actions that unnerved them, including accusing Yep of initially refusing to provide his ID after the collision, then identifying himself as a police officer when he did. They further accused him of knowing he was driving unsafely and accused him of later driving by their home after the collision, which they considered intimidating.
The couple sought unspecified damages above $25,000. The case was settled in 2020 ahead of a scheduled jury trial that was to begin in February 2021.
A spokesperson for Lurie declined to comment.
