SF business owner voices graffiti concerns as search for new police chief continues
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- As San Francisco continues its search for a new police chief, residents are weighing in on what they're looking for in the person who gets the job.
David Heller, president of the Geary Blvd Merchants Association, says people are climbing on the roof of his business and tagging the side of the building.
He says there have been recent graffiti problems that he has dealt with at his Beauty Network business in the Richmond District.
"We just had this whole wall painted black and within the next day, it started to get tagged and every day you'll see another tag," Heller said.
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Heller says the city has threatened to fine him if he doesn't clean up the graffiti, which costs him $1,500 each time.
"It's a lot of money, but if I don't do it, it will cost me more because the city gave me a warning that I have 'X' amount of days to do it."
Heller attended a community meeting Tuesday night where the topic of discussion was what qualities and characteristics the next police chief should have. Bill Scott left earlier this year and longtime SFPD officer Paul Yep now leads the department as an interim chief.
"We don't just want a game manager, we want someone that is going to make big plays. We want a playmaker chief," Police Commissioner Kevin Benedicto said.
Yep has already made a number of organizational changes within the department, but has said publicly he doesn't want the job.
Heller says he likes Yep's work and is hopeful that the next chief takes a more hands-on approach with neighborhood walking beats for officers, and maybe they could even bring back the graffiti task force.
"Leadership, more communication with the officers, doing more community visiting like previous chiefs did," Heller said.
As for the new chief timetable, Commissioner Benedicto says the commission is working to give a list of finalists to Mayor Daniel Lurie by November 12. It will then be the mayor making the final call.
