Kamala Harris - For California Attorney General 2010

San Francisco Police Chief George Gascón Endorses Kamala Harris for Attorney General

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco Police Chief George Gascón, a thirty year law enforcement veteran who has also served as Assistant Chief of the LAPD and Chief of Police in Mesa, Arizona, today announced his endorsement of Kamala Harris for California Attorney General.

“While I’ve long admired Kamala Harris’ record of innovation and success, since my appointment as Police Chief in San Francisco I’ve come to know the District Attorney as a steadfast and effective partner in our efforts to fight crime here in our city,” said Chief Gascón. “I believe that Kamala Harris’ ‘smart on crime’ approach, with its proven track record in San Francisco, is what California needs to get tough and smart on crime.”

“Chief Gascón is recognized as a national leader in the law enforcement community, and I’m honored to have earned his support for my candidacy,” said Harris. “He has been a terrific partner here in San Francisco, and when I am Attorney General I will continue to work with the Chief to fight gangs, get assault weapons off our streets, go after financial criminals, and to make our criminal justice system work better.”

Police Chief George Gascón took lead of the San Francisco Police Department in August 7, 2009. Prior to his move to San Francisco, California, Chief Gascón was the Chief of Police for the Mesa Police Department in Arizona for three years. Chief Gascón proudly served the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for more than 28 years. In his final assignment before joining the Mesa Police Department, Gascón served as LAPD's Assistant Police Chief and Director over the Office of Operations.

Chief Gascón joins law enforcement leaders around California in backing Harris’ candidacy, including former Los Angeles Chief of Police William Bratton, San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne, San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey, East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis, Half Moon Bay Police Chief Don O’Keefe, and Officers for Justice POA.

As San Francisco’s District Attorney, Harris has used her nearly 20 years of prosecutorial experience to focus intensively on fighting violent crime.  She increased felony conviction rates, expanded services to victims of crime and their families, created new prosecution divisions focused on child assault, public integrity and environmental crimes, and launched innovative initiatives to prevent re-offending. 

This work is paying off – the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office has more than doubled its trial conviction rate for gun felonies to 90 percent.  Under her leadership, the office has sent 70 percent more serious and violent offenders to State Prison. According to the State of California Department of Justice, the office’s overall felony conviction rate is at its highest point in nearly 15 years. Due to the success of her innovative crime-fighting initiatives, Harris recently participated in the White House Conference on Gang Violence Prevention and Crime Control.

For more information on Harris, please visit www.KamalaHarris.org.