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SFPD says crime down year to date; fireworks hotspots and July 4 incidents prompted arrests and dispersals
Summary
Interim SFPD leadership reported year-to-date drops in violent and property crime and summarized July 4 fireworks hotspots that required dispersal orders, arrests and less‑lethal crowd control.
San Francisco — Interim SFPD leadership told the Police Commission on July 9 that total crime is down year to date and provided summaries of several incidents tied to July 4 celebrations that required a coordinated city response.
The department reported total violent crimes are down 20% year to date, property crimes down 29% and overall crime down 28%, compared with the prior year. The department said there have been 44 nonfatal shooting incidents this year, a 27% decrease, and 53 nonfatal shooting victims, down 21% from 2024. For the year to date, the department reported 12 homicide victims, a 29% decrease.
Chief leadership also reviewed specific incidents. The department summarized a homicide on July 5 in the Bayview District where a victim was located with a gunshot wound and later died; investigators developed probable cause and made an arrest for murder (187 PC) in a related case. A multiagency fugitive enforcement operation on June 25 led to 97 arrests, and a Tenderloin search-warrant operation on June 24 resulted in the seizure of suspected narcotics, a firearm and illegal gambling machines from a liquor store.
The department described July 4 preparations and incidents in several neighborhoods where crowds launched illegal fireworks and in some cases became hostile. Citywide, the department recorded 47 explosion calls (police code 529) and 395 disturbance calls for fireworks-related activity during the July period cited in the report. Fire Department data for a portion of the evening showed 25 grass fires, 23 trash fires, 31 other fireworks-related calls and 10 fireworks-related injuries.
At several intersections — including 26th and Treat, 20th and Bryant, and Folsom and 20th — officers reported crowds launching commercial-grade fireworks and throwing bottles toward officers. According to the department, tactical members deployed 40-millimeter less-lethal foam baton projectiles to disperse a crowd after repeated dispersal orders and reported no officer injuries. In one incident the department said it arrested an 18-year-old and booked him on one felony and three misdemeanor charges related to fireworks and related conduct.
Why it matters: City leaders coordinated a multiagency response to concentrated fireworks activity that posed public-safety risks. The department emphasized its July 4 planning and said resources were deployed citywide to manage crowds and reduce injuries and fires.
Ending: Commissioners thanked the department for its operational work and requested additional reporting as investigations continue. The department did not seek any formal action on the report itself.
