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Interim Chief Yip reports year-to-date drops in violent and property crimes, flags uptick in human-trafficking complaints
Summary
Interim SFPD Chief Paul Yip told the Police Commission that Part 1 crimes are down year-to-date compared with 2024, including a decrease in homicides and gun violence, while human trafficking incidents have increased.
Interim Chief Paul Yip of the San Francisco Police Department reported to the Police Commission on Oct. 1 that Part 1 crimes are down year to date compared with 2024, while human trafficking incidents have risen.
At the commission meeting Chief Yip said, “Overall, Part 1 crimes are down 27% year to date compared to 2024. Total violent crimes are down 18% for the year. There's a decrease in 25% for homicides. Gun violence is down 24%.” He attributed reductions in property‑crime categories to sustained police efforts and noted a recent concentrated operation targeting illegal dirt-bike activity.
Chief Yip also reported a 100% increase in human trafficking incidents compared with the prior period. He told commissioners the department has five members currently assigned to the human‑trafficking unit: one acting lieutenant, three sergeants and one officer. He said staffing previously had included only one sergeant.
The chief reviewed several significant incidents that occurred in the reporting period. He described a Sept. 26 shooting in front of the Main Library that later became a homicide and said a suspect had been detained and booked; the victim subsequently succumbing to injuries was reported to the commission. The chief also summarized a coordinated operation on Sept. 21 that seized six dirt bikes and an ATV and led to four arrests, and a Sept. 27 stabbing on Myrtle Alley that left a victim injured and a suspect later arrested.
Chief Yip noted other noteworthy events, including a solo fatal traffic collision on Sept. 25 in the Mission District and a series of upcoming large public events in October — Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the Castro Street Fair and Fleet Week activities — and said the department is monitoring the federal government shutdown for possible operational impacts. When Commissioner Scott asked about shutdown-related effects, the chief answered he had not been made aware of specific operational impacts but said the city would leverage resources to keep San Francisco safe.
The chief also said the department has posted Department Notice 25092 concerning face mask technology on the SFPD website and that staff is reviewing Senate Bill 805 to ensure departmental policy compliance.
