When George Gascón became San Francisco's police chief, it was a revelation. He held news conferences without checking with higher-ups, and called back reporters promptly to offer unvarnished opinions. Compared with the usual bunker mentality at SFPD, it was a whole new world.

I once asked someone in City Hall if Gascón would be asked to tone it down.

"They'll let him go until he puts his foot in it," they said.

This week he did.

At a breakfast meeting Wednesday to discuss the earthquake-safety bond measure, Gascón veered off onto the topic of terrorism. He said that San Francisco has a large number of immigrants from Yemen and Afghanistan, and added that those are two countries where international terrorism often emanates.

Others told The Chronicle they heard him say the Hall of Justice is susceptible to members of the city's Middle Eastern community parking a van in front of it and blowing it up.

Dumb, dumb and dumb.

The last thing you want to do in San Francisco is imply that the diversity of the city is somehow dangerous or unfortunate. After putting up with insults, suspicion and outright racism, Arab Americans are incredibly sensitive to any implication that they are somehow tied to terrorism.

And finally, geez, Chief, the progressives already don't like you. Why hand them a stick?

"If these statements were made, they are disappointing, alarming and inappropriate," said Police Commissioner Petra DeJesus, who has been critical of Gascón's free-wheeling opinions.

She's right. And Gascón knows it.

"Looking back, I shouldn't have even mentioned those two countries," he said Friday. "If anyone was offended, I'm sorry."

He's also setting up a meeting next week with members of the Arab American community to smooth things over.

Good idea, but a little slow. The breakfast meeting was Wednesday morning. In a story in Friday's Chronicle, Gascón said, "There was no need to single out those two countries . . . but it's not because it was not accurate."

He should have unequivocally said that he screwed up and is sorry. Otherwise he's just feeding his critics, like DeJesus.

"It just seems like he needs to be the bigger man and apologize," she said. "He needs to acknowledge it and say he is sorry."

Friday afternoon he did. The SFPD issued a formal press release.

"Police Chief George Gascón would like to apologize to those in the Arab, Middle Eastern, and Muslim communities who were offended by his comments," it said, concluding with wishes for, "a very happy Persian New Year."

But by then the story had taken on a life of its own. There were reports that Gascón had claimed that local Arab American residents were planning to carry out a bomb attack.

By all accounts - although there were no reporters at the breakfast - Gascón said nothing like that. In fact, he said he specifically mentioned the Oklahoma City bombing, which was instigated by home-grown terrorists, some of whom served in the U.S. Army.

Nor is there anything wrong with saying that government buildings, like the Hall of Justice, are likely targets for terrorists.

But the chief's defenders, like Kevin Martin, vice president of the Police Officers Association, have to be careful not to appear to be making excuses.

"Clearly the chief did not mean to offend anyone," Martin said. "In this city, in this day and age, you're not going to be able to say anything without stepping on someone's toes."

That's partly true. But this is a city proud of its diversity, its feistiness in standing up for unrepresented groups. No one sees that as a failing. It is a strength.

Knowing that, public officials have to be very careful with what they say and how it sounds.

"I know, I know," Gascón said. "This is San Francisco. I get it."

Good.