SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Police Department released data on Thursday, January 17 that violent crimes involving gun violence has dropped in the last year as noted in the December 2018 CompStat Profile.
According to the SFPD website, the department credits a comprehensive, data-driven public safety strategy including more visibility of officers in hot spots around San Francisco. The report shows:
-Homicides decreased 18 percent
-Homicides by firearms decreased 37 percent
-Non-fatal shooting incidents decreased 30 percent
-Aggravated assaults decreased 3 percent
The Police Department seized 1,276 firearms in 2018, a 25 percent surge over 2017. Gun-related violence in San Francisco dropped to its lowest rate in 5 years.
“Though we are encouraged by our year-end numbers, one life lost is one life too many,” said Police Chief William Scott. “Through close collaboration with our community-based anti-violence partners and the establishment of our Crime Gun Investigations Center, we saw a decrease in gun-related violence last year. Reducing all violent crime remains our top priority, and we are committed to smart strategies and partnerships that will continue to enable us to provide safety with respect for everyone who lives in, works in or visits San Francisco.”
In 2018, the SFPD saw a significant drop in Part 1 Property Crimes that have victimized many people in San Francisco:
-Vehicle burglaries decreased 17 percent
-Auto thefts decreased 13 percent
-Larceny theft decreased 10 percent
A 2018 study by the California Policy Lab and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley discovered a considerable decrease in assaults and thefts after the San Francisco Police Department expanded its foot patrol strategy, which centers on crime deterrence and improved responsiveness and engagement with community members. The Police Department in 2017 doubled its citywide uniformed foot patrols, and with the direction and support of Mayor London Breed, increased foot patrols in U.N. Plaza and in the Mid-Market corridor last year in response to numerous quality of life issues.
“Every San Franciscan, regardless of which neighborhood they are in, deserves to be safe in our City,” said Mayor Breed. “Since taking office, I have been focused on adding more police officers to our streets, opening academies to prepare the next generation of SFPD officers, strengthening ties with our communities, and continuing important reforms to the Department. We have a lot of work still to do, but I am encouraged by the progress we have made.”
“Through our ongoing ‘Park Smart’ public education campaign and strategic deployment of our officers, we’ve been able to reduce vehicle burglaries in San Francisco by 17 percent,” said Chief Scott. “By putting more officers on the street, we’ve been able to deter crimes of opportunity, increase buy-bust operations in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by drug dealing, and build communication and trust with community members. Going forward in 2019, we will continue to listen to the public we serve and use data to strategically assign our officers to address our City’s public safety challenges.”
SFPD CompStat reports are posted online at www.sanfranciscopolice.org/compstatreports.
