Northern Station captain details boundary expansion, staffing and spike in property crimes

San Francisco — Captain Greg McEachern of Northern Station briefed the Police Commission and neighborhood residents on Sept. 16, 2015, describing recent boundary changes, staffing increases, specialized training and a notable rise in property crime.

McEachern said the Northern District expanded westward in recent redistricting, growing from about 5.3 to 7.3 square miles and increasing the resident population from approximately 90,000 to about 106,000. The station inherited additional infrastructure, including roughly 10 schools, two hospitals and five public‑housing sites that officers must now serve.

He reported roughly 150 officers and eight civilians assigned to Northern Station, noting a larger number of newer officers: about one‑third of patrol officers have fewer than two and a half years on the force. McEachern said the department expanded the station’s undercover street‑crimes unit from one team to two (two sergeants and ten officers) and planned additions to investigators and supervisory ranks as academy classes graduate.

McEachern listed training gains: number of field training officers rose from 20 to 36; 21 officers had completed crisis‑intervention training with plans to add more; the station also has drug‑recognition experts and hostage negotiators. He emphasized ongoing work to increase diversity among officers assigned to the district.

On crime trends, McEachern said Northern Station had five homicides year‑to‑date (four of them stemming from a single incident) and increases in robberies and violent‑crime categories, but the most pronounced growth was in property crime: "We are up almost 41% in property crime with the biggest one being thefts from vehicles," he said, attributing much of the rise to tourist target areas such as the Palace of Fine Arts.

To address trends, McEachern described interagency work with Rec & Park, the district attorney and rental car agencies, targeted enforcement, installation of cameras at key sites and public education. On traffic safety, he described Vision Zero enforcement priorities and reported increased citations for major collision factors with a station goal tied to reducing fatalities.

McEachern also outlined community outreach efforts — immersion programs, merchant meetings, backpack giveaways, youth basketball and school reading programs — and operational goals for 2015–2016: a 10% crime reduction target, expansion of foot beats (Fillmore, Lower Polk, Upper Fillmore/Japantown), an additional school car, two more homeless outreach officers (from two to four) and four more public‑housing officers (from four to eight).

He closed by inviting neighbors to provide tips and feedback and said he would remain available during the meeting for questions.