SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Mayor London Breed on Monday held a press conference to discuss San Francisco’s mid-year public safety statistics.
Here are the key takeaways from the press conference:
Homicides
An uptick – although 2019 was a 58-year low-point.
Gun Violence
Up in 2021, more than double from last year.
“We are trying to get a handle on this issue,” San Francisco Police Chief William “Bill” Scott said as he addressed the city’s problems with gun violence.
He also discussed illegal ghost guns, calling them “dangerous, unregulated,” and a “problem for our city.”
“We are addressing this with ATF and federal partners, hoping to continue confiscating these guns so they won’t be in the hands of people driving gun violence, he added.
Rape
Declining, but post-lockdown effect could change these numbers.
Chief Scott said while the number is far below where it was in the last few years, it’s still far too many.
He noted 11 cases in May 2021 had increased to 19 cases in June.
“It’s something we’re keeping an eye on,” he said, calling the trend “concerning.”
Robberies
Declining, with no changes observed yet as the city reopens.
While robberies since 2018 have gone down, Chief Scott said they hope to continue this trend through the end of the year.
Aggravated Assaults
Slight uptick over last year, but a modest long-term decline.
Burglaries
“Troubling” increase from last year, but post-lockdown numbers show a small decline.
Chief Scott said while 2018, 2019, and 2020 showed a significant drop from year-to-date, 2021 compared low to 2019.
“We can always do better – but we are not doing terribly,” he said. “What is proven is cops matter, when we increased foot patrol in the Tenderloin, assaults went down.”
Larceny/Theft
Steady decline since 2017.
Chief Scott said “much work needs to be done in retail theft,” calling it “challenging” but noting that things like deployment, strategy, and tactics can be controlled so when crime happens, they are ready.
“This is something, it’s personal to me,” he said. “We will catch you, make no mistakes, we are very good and committed to what we do.”
Car Break-ins
“Modest” uptick from 2020, but a decline from 2017.
The numbers between 2017 and 2018 were lower – at 40%.
Chief Scott said while the department shifted its focus away from apprehension and moved to footbeats and deployment, “we saw a dramatic turnaround.”
He added that more officers will be on the beat, in corridors and tourist hotspots to prevent these crimes from happening.
“San Francisco is a safe city… come to San Francisco… we got your back.”
Auto Thefts
Up from last year.
While it’s less of an increase than last year, it is still up Chief Scott said.
He added that the department is doing all it can to control auto thefts with solutions such as middle-of-the-night deployment.
You can watch a full replay of the press conference below: