San Francisco’s police department has been going through what could be generously referred to as a rough patch.

It fell under harsh criticism in 2015 after Mario Woods was shot 2o times while holding a knife and continued into 2016 as it went through multiple police chiefs following the exposure of multiple scandals – one of which involved racist text messages sent by officers. The DOJ later determined that the department suffered from racial bias.

To try and move past all of the controversy surrounding it, the highest ranking black officer in the LAPD has been chosen as the next police chief for San Francisco.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief William “Bill” Scott was chosen by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to take over the department.

“Deputy Chief Scott has seen firsthand not just what it takes to implement a series of reforms, but the efforts it will take to transform a department … to build trust,” said Mayor Lee.

“I wasn’t looking for a job. I was very happy in L.A.,” said Scott, who didn’t expect a call from a recruiting firm when asked about the position. “It is funny how God works.”

He went on to say that he’ll be a “fair and consistent” leader while he’s head of the department.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Scott joined the LAPD in 1989 and was sent to South L.A. during the 1992 riots. Since then, he’s climbed the ranks and has a history of supporting community policing and feels that officers need to step away from acting as warriors defending communities and more as guardians.

Hopefully, Scott’s introduction will help change a department that’s been proven to have an institutionalized sense of racial bias, which affects how they interact with citizens.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons