Executives

 

Sheriff Paul M. Miyamoto

Paul M. Miyamoto

Paul Miyamoto is known for his resilience. He has held rank at every position in the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office and faced his share of adversity, keeping people safe in the jails, in emergencies, and in the community.

Miyamoto comes by his resilience naturally, as a member of a family who survived and triumphed after being forcibly relocated to a Japanese internment camp during World War II. He strengthened his resilience on the job, joining the Sheriff’s Office in 1996, and rising through the ranks to Assistant Sheriff. Miyamoto commanded the two largest Sheriff’s Office divisions, Custody and Field Operations, and is a member of the Sheriff’s Special Response Team (SRT).

On November 5, 2019, San Francisco voters elected Paul Miyamoto as their 37th Sheriff since 1850.

When he was sworn in on January 8, 2020, Sheriff Paul M. Miyamoto also became the first Asian American Sheriff in the state of California. Born and raised in San Francisco, Sheriff Miyamoto now leads one of the nation’s most diverse and inclusive Sheriff’s Office workforces.

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As Sheriff of the City and County of San Francisco, he manages more than 850 sworn staff, almost 200 non-sworn employees and a budget of over $250 million. This includes administering three custodial jails and an intake and release facility; providing safety for Superior Court operations and other high-profile public buildings; and performing civil court orders.

Sheriff Miyamoto’s priority is to keep people safe inside the jail and in the community. San Francisco has one of the nation’s lowest incarceration rates, with the majority of criminal justice-involved people awaiting resolution of their cases out of custody.

The Sheriff’s Office supervises many of these people on alternatives to incarceration such as electronic monitoring. The office also supports restorative justice programs, including the national award-winning Resolve to Stop the Violence Project, which has operated in San Francisco County Jail since 1997.

Working with city agencies, justice and public safety partners, Sheriff Miyamoto is committed to enhancing and expanding services that protect public safety and help vulnerable people.

Sheriff Miyamoto is active in his community. He serves on the boards of the National Association of Asian American Professionals in San Francisco (NAAAPSF), which mentors individuals to become leaders in their professions; and Guardians of the City, which preserves and promotes the history of San Francisco public safety.

Sheriff Miyamoto attended Lowell High School in San Francisco and graduated from the University of California, Davis in 1989. Married to LeeAnn and a father of five including triplets, he also coaches his children's youth basketball teams.

Undersheriff Matthew Freeman

Undersheriff Matthew Freeman

Matthew Freeman joined the Sheriff’s Department in January 1991. He has served in a multitude of department assignments, including Custody, the Courts, the Institutional Patrol Unit and Field Operations.

A member of the Emergency Services Unit for 24 years, Undersheriff Freeman has served as the Incident Commander and Mobile Field Force Platoon Leader in many emergency operation deployments in San Francisco, and in mutual aid response to other jurisdictions. He has received extensive training in emergency response planning and all-hazards events from member agencies of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium. He enjoys serving the Department as an instructor, and teaches advanced officer, supervisor and Emergency Services Unit training. Freeman has held each rank in the Sheriff’s Department. As Chief Deputy, he served as the Custody Operations Division Commander for five years. Freeman was promoted to Undersheriff in May of 2017.

Undersheriff Freeman was born, raised and attended school in San Francisco. He is married and has two daughters.

Assistant Sheriff Katherine Johnson

Kathy Gorwood

Assistant Sheriff Katherine Johnson joined the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department in March 1996 and has served every rank in the department. She currently serves as the Assistant Sheriff.

Assistant Sheriff Johnson’s collateral duties have included management of the department’s budget, media relations, establishment of the electronic newsletter, serving as a training instructor, overseeing the Policy and Procedure Committee and working as part of the team that implemented the department’s Jail Management System.

Assistant Sheriff Johnson is a native San Franciscan. She graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in the Sunset, and earned her undergraduate degree later in life from Union Institute and University. She is bilingual, and enjoys cooking and the outdoors.