San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that as San Francisco prepares to implement new public safety measures approved by the voters, the latest crime numbers in 2024 continue to improve.
In the first quarter (Jan 1-March 31) of 2024, property crime is down 32% and violent crime is down 14% compared to the first quarter of 2023. This builds on major improvements seen in 2023, when the City saw decade low crime rates, except for 2020 during the pandemic shutdown.
These efforts reflect the work of local law enforcement, including the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, alongside their state and federal partners at the California Highway Patrol, California National Guard, and the Drug Enforcement Agency. The San Francisco District Attorney and U.S. Attorney’s Office continue to aggressively prosecute cases, including drug crimes.
In March, San Francisco voters approved Proposition E, which gives police officers access to 21st century technology and tools to do their jobs, changes rules to get more officers out on the street and pursue criminals and prevents the City’s Police Commission from prioritizing ideology before community safety. At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the Board officially voted to certify the election. The measure officially goes into effect 10 days after the vote, which means starting on April 12. Under the Mayor’s direction, the SFPD has already started creating a framework and is devoting resources to begin implementing Prop. E.
With the implementation of Prop E, the deployment of new public safety tools like Automated License Plate Readers, and the growing ranks in the Police Academy, the city will have expanded access to technology and more officers on the streets to make San Francisco safer as the year goes forward.
First Quarter 2024 Trends: Crime Remains Down
The first quarter 2024 reductions in crime are broad-based. In comparison to the same time period in 2023:
Property Crime Reductions:
- Car break-ins down 51%
- Burglary down 17%
- Motor vehicle theft down 10%
- Arson down 10%
- Larceny theft (non-car break-ins) down 18%
Violent Crime Reductions:
- Homicide down 27%
- Rape down 29%
- Robbery down 18%
- Assault down 8%
- Gun violence down 38%
Recent examples of enforcement activities that have supported making San Francisco safer include:
- SFPD and the SF Sheriff made 54 arrests in one day, including dozens of fugitives, as part of the City’s multi-agency drug market enforcement effort (Press Release link)
- The District Attorney secured a conviction in an organized retail theft case that targeted multiple locations in San Francisco (Press Release link)
- The District Attorney’s Office charged two individuals in connection to narcotics trafficking in the Tenderloin in possession of almost two pounds of fentanyl (Press Release link)
- The US Attorney’s Office secured two separate convictions in federal court for individuals selling drugs in the Tenderloin (Press Release link)
- San Francisco began installing 400 license plate reader cameras at 100 intersections across the city (Press release link)
- SFPD made an arrest in the Richmond District after someone vandalized 20 cars in the area. (Press Release link)
- The District Attorney’s Office secured a conviction of a prolific auto-burglar (Press Release Link)
Prop E Implementation
Prop E gives SFPD the ability to deploy new technology tools to prevent, investigate, and solve crimes. SFPD’s initial deployment of new technologies under Prop E will include the use of drones, followed by a plan to expand publicly owned camera use. These processes are underway, and SFPD is working to get these technologies in service as quickly as possible.
Prop E changes overly restrictive rules to support the work of police officers to be more effective in how they do their jobs. These changes will be made once SFPD has issued the Departmental General Orders (DGOs), which provide officers with the guidance to understand and apply new rules. SFPD has already been working on revisions to bring the named DGOs in Proposition E into compliance with the voter-passed measure and will be moving them forward soon. In addition, the Department is also undergoing review of all existing DGOs to identify other opportunities for more efficiency that will reduce administrative time and get below the threshold where only 20% of officer time is spent on administrative duties.
“We are committed to making San Francisco a safer, more vibrant city for our residents, businesses, workers, and visitors,” said Mayor London Breed. “While this is positive news, we have more work to do make our city safer for all and we are not letting up. When you are a victim of a crime, statistics don’t matter, but we also know that our law enforcement agencies are working tirelessly to bring justice to victims and to protect our communities. We will continue to coordinate across all levels of government, introduce new tools and policies, and support our officers, deputies, and attorneys doing the work on our streets and in the courtroom.”
“It’s very encouraging to see that the implementation of our strategies to address crime coupled with the hard work of our officers and professional staff are making a real difference and is having positive effects,” said Chief Bill Scott. “These downward trending crime rates show that the SFPD is on the right path. We are excited that our crime reduction strategies moving forward will include enhanced utilization of modern technology that will help our police department be more effective and efficient in preventing and investigating crimes.”
“Continued partnership across all levels of government will fuel our efforts to make San Francisco safer for residents, workers and visitors,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “While these numbers are trending in the right direction, my office will always prioritize public safety and lead the fight for justice for victims of crime and our neighborhoods. Working together we will ensure that there is accountability and those who would come to San Francisco to commit crimes will face consequences.”
“We will continue our commitment to keeping San Francisco safe and work to prevent crime and hold people accountable for their behaviors that impact public safety,” said Sheriff Paul Miyamoto. “Implementing Prop E gives our partners in the Police Department more tools to continue proactive efforts to decrease crime rates. Tools like drones, which we currently use in the Sheriff’s Office, will now be available to police. New policies based on Prop E measures will help create administrative efficiencies that will mean more time on the streets for officers. We will continue to be out there with them on the streets, holding peop
