George Gascón
| George Gascón | |
|---|---|
 | |
| District Attorney of San Francisco | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Kamala Harris |
| Chief of the San Francisco Police Department | |
| In office January 8, 2010 – January 9, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Heather Fong |
| Succeeded by | Greg Suhr |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1954 (age 59–60) Havana, Cuba |
| Nationality | Cuban/American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Fabiola Kramsky |
| Residence | San Francisco, California |
| Alma mater | California State University, Long Beach Western State University College of Law |
George Gascón (born 1954) is the District Attorney of San Francisco. Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed him to that post on January 9, 2011, to succeed Kamala Harris, who had been elected California Attorney General in November 2010. In November 2011, George Gascón was elected as District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco after winning more than 62% of the vote in the third round of San Francisco's Instant-runoff voting poll.[1] He was sworn in on January 5, 2012 as San Francisco's twelfth elected and first Latino District Attorney.
Early life
Born in Havana, Cuba, Gascón and his family, immigrated to the United States in 1967 and settled in Bell, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. After dropping out of Bell High School, Gascón served in the United States Army from 1972 to 1975, receiving an honorable discharge as a Sergeant (E-5), and earned his high school diploma. In 1978, Gascón joined the Los Angeles Police Department. He then became a sales manager at a Ford Motor Company dealership and pursued higher education.[2] He received a bachelor's degree in history from California State University, Long Beach and a Juris Doctor from Western State University College of Law.[3] In 1987, he became a full-time police officer again and rose to the ranks of Assistant Police Chief and Director of the Office of Operations. Gascón has been an active member of the California State Bar since 1996.
Career
In 2006, Gascón became the chief of the Mesa, Arizona police department.[4] He faced an anti-immigrant climate ready to blame Arizona’s crime problems on illegal aliens. Gascón challenged Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and anti-illegal alien groups by proving that illegal aliens weren’t to blame for Mesa’s crime problems [citation needed]. By the end of his three-year tenure, serious crime in Mesa dropped by 30 percent and the Latino community and others had a strong working relationship with the Police Department.[citation needed]
Gascón was Chief of the San Francisco Police Department from August 7, 2009, to January 9, 2011, succeeding Heather Fong.[3] He was replaced by Greg Suhr, who was sworn in on April 27, 2011. As Chief of Police, he focused on reform, crime reduction and modernizing the department. He introduced CompStat, a computerized tracking system that collects and analyzes crime statistics, identifies trouble spots and serves as an accountability tool for the department. He also created the city’s first Brady Policy and enhanced internal affairs. During his tenure, murder rates were the lowest in over half a century.
References
- ↑ City and County of San Francisco, Department of Elections "Official Ranked-Choice Results Report November 8, 2011 Consolidated Municipal Election District Attorney"
- ↑ Stern, Ray (July 10, 2008). "Mesa Police Chief George Gascón stares down Sheriff Joe Arpaio". Phoenix New Times. pp. 4. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Chief Gascon's Biography". San Francisco Police Department. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
- ↑ "District Attorney, George Gascón". San Francisco District Attorney. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
External links
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