SF mayor's office says crime is trending downward
SF mayors office says crime is trending downward
San Francisco Mayor London Breeds office on Tuesday released new data showing that crime in the city trending down and that it is at a 10-year-low if you exclude 2020 at the height of the pandemic. In this election year, one of Breeds political opponents says shes focused on retail crime but more work needs to be done about violent crime.
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco's mayor's office released new data on Tuesday showing that crime in the city is trending downward.
Mayor London Breed attributes this to the city's focus on public safety.
"All of these things are starting to have an impact on what's happening in terms of crime here in San Francisco and we're really excited to see the numbers continue to trend down," said Breed.
The data show an overall decrease in crime of 7% from 2022 and a 13% decrease from 2019, pre-pandemic. The mayor's office said property crime is lower than any time over the last 10 years, excluding 2020 when much of the city was on pandemic lockdowns.
Katelyn Tan is a lifelong San Franciscan and musician who will be playing in a concert this weekend in Grace Cathedral. She said she's seen the city through its ups and downs.
"I feel pretty safe especially in comparison to other American cities that I've been to," said Tan. "Of course every American city has its dangerous neighborhoods."
Saadi Halil is a new father who owns a small business. He said while he occasionally hears from customers about car break-ins, he feels there are some parts of the city where crime is a bigger issue than others. "I used to live in the Tenderloin, and that's a tough spot," said Halil. "So, if that's what the numbers are saying, I'm happy to hear it. I've been fortunate enough, thus far, to have not had any personal run-ins."
District 11 Supervisor and candidate for mayor, Ahsha Safaí, said the overall decrease in crime is welcome, and he said was due to his work on the organized retail crime working group.
He said while most crime is down, the mayor still hasn't done enough to combat violent crime. "We've shifted focus," said Safaí. "We put effort into retail theft and larceny theft, but we've stopped thinking about and focusing on violent crime in the way that we should and that is impacting a lot of San Francisco residents."
The mayor said violent crime is below pre-pandemic levels, but also said there is still work to do.
According to the mayor's office, the city has a homicide clearance rate of 85%, higher than the national average of 60%, and that a renewed focus on accountability is starting to pay off when it comes to violent crime.
"It's still lower than pre-pandemic levels, and we're still going to do everything we can to address it and all the work that we've done to not only make those arrests but to hold people accountable for their crimes they commit in our city have been extraordinary," said Mayor Breed.
The mayor said partnerships with federal and state law enforcement also helped drive down crime overall in the city, and said programs rolling out this year, including police license-plate cameras, will help further drive down those numbers.
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