Police‑led Tenderloin retail hours pilot shows reductions in late‑night calls, hearing continued for further review

At an April 24 hearing, the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee received a status update on the Tenderloin Veil Hours restriction pilot (Ordinance No. 182‑24) and a broader Drug Market Agency Coordination Center (DMACC) effort. San Francisco Police Department and Department of Public Health staff reported reductions in several overnight incident categories and in on‑view police contacts in the pilot zone since the ordinance went into effect.

Dr. Diana Roche, SFPD director of policy and public affairs, introduced the presentation and said the retail‑hours restriction and DMACC are multi‑agency efforts responding to community concerns about large night‑time gatherings, open drug markets, illegal vending and the associated public‑health and public‑safety impacts. Commander Derek Lou, who oversees DMACC operations in the Mid‑City/Tenderloin area, presented before‑and‑after photos of problem corners and a heat map of reported Part I crime. Commander Lou said the Tenderloin Police District and the smaller defined Tenderloin Public Safety Zone both showed declines in reported incidents during the midnight‑to‑5 a.m. period after the ordinance began. In the zone, total reported crimes in the overnight window fell about 14 percent, with nonfatal shootings and narcotics reports down in the reporting period; the department said one homicide occurred in the comparison window.

Commander Lou also described the ordinance's enforcement design: the restriction prohibits certain retail stores (primarily convenience and similar retail that sell prepackaged foods and tobacco) from operating between midnight and 5 a.m. within the defined zone (O'Farrell to the north; McAllister to the south; Jones to the east; Polk to the west). The Department of Public Health may assess administrative fines (up to $1,000 per hour of violation) based on SFPD evidence; the fines are administrative rather than criminal. Assistant Director Jen Kallower of the Department of Public Health’s Environmental Health Branch reported eight violation incidents at five businesses in the zone; two director’s hearings produced fines totaling $2,006.50 and two matters were referred to the City Attorney for litigation.

Committee members asked about displacement of activity to nearby corridors (for example, Sixth Street) and whether the pilot should be expanded; SFPD acknowledged displacement is possible and described DMACC’s tactical approach of stabilizing one high‑impact area at a time. Multiple community speakers — including neighborhood residents, tenants, Chinatown Community Development Center staff and business owners — urged the committee to continue the pilot; they attributed cleaner streets, reduced overnight gatherings, and improved sleep and safety for seniors and families to the ordinance. Some speakers called for expanding the measure to other problem areas such as Sixth Street; others stressed the ordinance is a tool among many, and that increased staffing and continued cross‑agency coordination remain necessary.

After public comment, the committee voted to continue the hearing to the call of the chair to allow further review and follow‑up on data and implementation questions. The clerk recorded aye votes from Vice Chair Bilal Mahmood, Member Danny Sauter and Chair Matt Dorsey.