SFPD reports drop in overall Part I crime; Jefferson Square Park operation leads to 86 arrests and narcotics seizure

San Francisco Police Chief William Scott told the Police Commission on March 12 that overall Part I crime is down 33% year-to-date, while gun violence has increased modestly.

Scott said the drop amounts to 2,479 fewer Part I incidents compared with the same period last year and described the breakdown: property crime down roughly 36%, larceny down about 15%, and a 14% reduction in violent crime overall. "We are up in gun violence, 9% compared to 2024," Scott said, and noted there have been four more shooting incidents year to date and two more shooting victims than at the same point last year. He reported three homicides so far this year, the same as last year, and said the homicide clearance rate is about 60%.

The chief highlighted a February 26 Drug Market Agency Coordination Center (DMACC) operation at Jefferson Square Park, which he said responded to numerous community complaints about narcotics activity. The operation resulted in 86 arrests; 55 of those arrests were for narcotics-related charges, mostly misdemeanors, and 31 were for outstanding warrants from jurisdictions across the Bay Area. "Since that operation, we have had no problems in the park," Scott told the commission.

In response to a public question, Scott said the department seized about 1.21 pounds of narcotics during the Jefferson Square Park operation and recovered drug paraphernalia.

Scott also briefed the commission on other recent incidents: a homicide on the 900 block of Ellsworth reported at 1:17 a.m. (an active investigation with no arrests at the time of the meeting); a carjacking on the 400 block of Bayshore Boulevard in which a victim was dragged and run over and the suspect vehicle later disabled by a tire-deflation device and the suspect arrested; and an incident at Stonestown Galleria in which two juveniles were arrested after officers located a replica-style assault rifle and a 9 mm ghost gun was later recovered.

Scott said the department seized 202 firearms this year to date and credited interagency cooperation for recent enforcement operations, naming the sheriff's office, DEA, fire department, Recreation and Parks and park rangers as partners. He also announced a virtual town hall on an officer-involved shooting scheduled for March 18 at 3 p.m.

Commissioners asked whether similar DMACC operations would be deployed elsewhere; Scott said the department will continue such operations at hot spots including the Mission (Sixteenth and Mission), Van Ness and Market, Sixth Street and areas in the Tenderloin, stressing the need for consistent enforcement to avoid displacement of activity.

Ending: The chief's weekly report emphasized both declines in several crime categories and targeted enforcement in problem areas. He said the department will continue DMACC operations and provide updates to the commission as investigations develop.