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SFPD reports 27% drop in serious crime year‑to‑date; homicide unit highlights cold‑case work
Summary
Chief William Scott told the Police Commission on June 4 that the department’s Part 1 serious crime index is down roughly 27% year‑to‑date and that the homicide unit has been staffed with a sergeant and five investigators to re‑examine cold cases.
San Francisco Police Department leadership told the Police Commission on June 4 that overall serious crime — the department's Part 1 index — is down 27% year‑to‑date, with property crimes down about 29% and violent crime down 18%.
Chief William Scott reported the figures, saying the department has seen a substantial reduction in car burglaries (a year‑to‑date drop of roughly 47% compared with last year) and that homicide clearances this year have exceeded the number of homicides, a rate Chief Scott described as "about 150%" during his remarks.
Cold‑case unit and family outreach Chief Scott noted the department has staffed a cold‑case unit with "one sergeant and five investigators" to re‑examine unsolved homicides and that the unit has produced several recent case closures. Scott told the commission the department resumed victim‑focused activities in other forms — for example, tree‑planting and survivor events — and said the old series of regular homicide‑survivor meetings that began in 2018 had not been resumed after COVID but could be restarted if needed.
Commissioner follow‑up and requests Commissioners pressed for better, systematic contact with surviving families. One commissioner asked the department to create a database to ensure families with cold cases receive at least semiannual contact and updates. Chief Scott said the department uses reminders and tickler systems for investigators and that the homicide unit treats reopened cold cases with investigative processes akin to active cases when new evidence emerges.
Why it matters The department framed the reductions as the result of multiple investigative units working together, including the weapon‑ and tactical units, plainclothes surveillance, and the cold‑case investigators. At the same time, SFPD acknowledged work remains on gun‑related homicides (the chief said 8 of this year's 13 homicides were gun‑related) and stressed ongoing traffic enforcement to limit injurious collisions.
Provenance: The crime statistics and cold‑case staffing were presented by Chief William Scott during the chief’s report portion of the meeting.
