(FULLERTON, Ca. – August 1, 2011 ) Western State alumnus George Gascón has been named District Attorney for the city of San Francisco. Gascón, former police chief of the city was appointed to fulfill the unexpired term of Kamala Harris, who recently vacated the office to become California's Attorney General.
"Police Chief George Gascón is a stellar choice for District Attorney of San Francisco,” says City Attorney Dennis Herrera. “I've repeatedly credited his leadership as key to making our civil gang injunction program a success. I couldn't hope for a better ally to continue Kamala Harris's record in aggressively prosecuting gang injunction cases. I know Mayor Newsom had a very tough decision to make among a number of excellent potential successors, and he has made an experienced, top-notch pick. I look forward to working closely with our new District Attorney in the months and years to come."
Gascón assumed leadership of the San Francisco Police Department on August 7, 2009. Previously, he served as Chief of Police for the Mesa Police Department in Arizona for three years. Gascón was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in April 1978. He served as an officer until 1981, when he left to pursue a career in business management while volunteering his time as a reserve officer. Gascón returned to law enforcement full-time in April 1987, and quickly moved through the LAPD ranks gaining experience in a variety of operational and management functions. 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 in charge of patrol, detectives, aviation, special operations, and jails.
Gascón received a B.A. Degree in History from California State University, Long Beach, and a Juris Doctor Degree from Western State University, College of Law. He is an active member of the California Bar Association, graduated from the FBI’s National Executive Institute, and is a member of the Harvard University/Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Session on Policing and Public Safety.
Gascón serves on the Board of Directors of the Police Executive Research Forum. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Council of State Governments’ Justice Center and on the Board of Directors of the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation.
About Western State
Western State (www.wsulaw.edu) was founded in 1966 and is the oldest law school in Orange County with more than 11,000 alumni. Located in the heart of Southern California, Western State University offers both full- and part-time programs, taught by a dedicated and highly motivated faculty who serve as scholars and mentors both inside and outside of the classroom. See wsuprograms.info for program duration, tuition, fees, and other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success, and other important info.