Wearing a uniform and getting choked up during his speech, new Police Chief Greg Suhr stood in stark contrast Wednesday to his suit-donning and well-rehearsed predecessor, District Attorney George Gascón.

And while Suhr got the job after pledging to carry on the many reforms that Gascón brought to the Department – decentralizing command, reducing overtime and emphasizing community policing – Suhr’s first act as chief will be to reverse one of Gascón’s own actions.

Dividing a corridor at police headquarters is a locked door that separates the chief’s and the Police Commission offices from the rest of the Hall of Justice. Gascón had the door installed in 2009 as a security measure, but it became an imposing obstacle for lowly officers or members of the public who wanted to access to police brass.

“As my first order of business, the door that was put up a while ago that restricts access to the office of the chief of police will be blocked open during business hours for anyone to come in to see me or whoever else they need to see,” Suhr said.

bbegin@sfexaminer.com