Overall crime down in SF during stay-at-home order, but police chief highlights disturbing trends

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott on Wednesday said despite an overall decrease in crime around the city, he's noticed some disturbing trends. 

San Francisco's directive aimed at restricting movement and forcing residents to stay indoors as the city pushes forward in the COVID-19 fight has resulted in a drop in crime since the order was put in place on Mar. 16. 

According to the San Francisco Police Department's crime dashboard, violent crime was down by 31% compared to the same period in 2019. Property crime rates fell by nearly 44%. 

However, year-to-date the city has seen 14 homicides, two more than last year, Scott said. 

The police chief also zeroed in on four incidents that occurred over a span of 11 days where elderly women were robbed of their purses.

"This is just simply unacceptable," Scott said before issuing a plea to the public to look out for the senior residents. "Let's not have this happen to our most vulnerable population."

In some cases, the elderly victims were thrown to the ground and held at gunpoint. 

The four victims were between the ages of 69 and 85. 

"We have enough challenges in our city with the COVID-19 pandemic and this is just something that we cannot tolerate," Scott said. "Look out for your neighbors. Report crime when you see it. Call 9-1-1 if see things that look suspicious. Text 9-1-1 if you can't make the call." 

He stressed the importance of residents reporting these types of crimes so that perpetrators are held responsible. 

The department is also investigating several shootings, including a case in the Bayview District where over 100 rounds were fired. Authorities said no one was injured and no suspects have been identified.

"We cannot allow this type of violence in our city," Scott said. "Although crime is dow, we have other challenges we need to tackle and we are going to need the public's help in working with us."