San Francisco reports drop in retail theft as shoppers notice improved safety

SF sees drop in retail theft as shoppers notice improved safety

City officials say arrests and targeted enforcement have led to a significant decline in retail theft and other crimes.

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco officials are reporting major arrests and a dramatic drop in retail theft and overall crime. 

It's a change shoppers and retailers say is increasingly noticeable in the city’s busiest shopping districts.

Mayor Daniel Lurie and the San Francisco Police Department say a targeted crackdown on retail theft since September has led to greater accountability for repeat offenders.

"We are making strides on this front," Lurie said in an Instagram post. "We’ve done a blitz since September. SFPD has arrested 104 individuals for this crime."

Police say 23 of those arrested were booked into jail on charges that included robbery, vandalism and outstanding warrants for other felony offenses. Officers, including plainclothes members of the Organized Retail Crime Taskforce, worked closely with store employees and loss-prevention teams to identify suspects, largely in the SoMa area.

Local perspective:

At Shoe Palace in Union Square, which opened earlier this year, a security guard said the store has not experienced the mob-style thefts that once plagued downtown retailers.

"No people coming in like five or ten people at one time," said Darryl, a security guard at the store.

He said that initially surprised him. 

"When I took this job, I thought it was going to be a lot of that," Darryl said. "Coworkers were telling me, ‘It’s going to be rough here.’ But it turned out to be pretty good. I think San Francisco is coming around."

Police credit a combination of high-visibility patrols, targeted enforcement, and tougher accountability for deterring theft.

"I think now they know they can actually get in trouble for theft," Darryl said. "You come here and steal, you’ve got like 45 seconds to get out of here or you’re going to get caught."

Citywide, Lurie says crime is down 30 percent, car break-ins have dropped 44 percent, and San Francisco is on track to end the year with its lowest homicide rate since the 1950s.

Shoppers say the improvements are noticeable.

"My mom grew up coming here, and she was even asking me, ‘Are you going to Union Square today? Tell me how it is,’" said Janel Wagner of Orinda. "It’s gotten so much better."

Diya Simha of Antioch said she feels increasingly comfortable shopping downtown.

"I definitely feel like it’s very safe now," she said. "I never really felt unsafe, but I do feel safer now, and every time I’ve been to San Francisco in the past year and a half, it’s been a great experience."

Police say technology is also playing a role, including more than 400 license-plate readers, dozens of drones, and a new investigations center designed to help officers identify and arrest suspects more quickly.