Police report: Part 1 crimes down about 8% year-to-date; chief highlights recovered crime guns

At the Dec. 1 Police Commission meeting, department leaders presented quarterly crime data showing a decline in serious crimes citywide. Assistant Chief Sawyer told commissioners, "Overall, Part 1 crimes are down 8.3%, year to date," noting 3,264 fewer Part 1 crimes as of Nov. 27, a 4% reduction in violent crime and a 9% reduction in property crime.

Later in a public briefing portion, Police Chief George Gascon reinforced the trend and framed it as a multi-year accomplishment: "We're down 13% if we compare it to two years ago and 9% when we compare it to a year ago," he said, and the presentation cited 787 firearms recovered in the city during the period. Gascon and the mayor suggested the reductions yield substantial community savings; Gascon said the estimated savings compared with two years earlier exceed $800,000,000 based on cost-of-crime assessments.

Commissioners and the mayor praised departmental partnerships including the district attorney's office; the chief emphasized data-driven deployment and multiagency cooperation as drivers of the decline. The meeting included questions about breakdowns and offers to provide additional data; commissioners also tied the statistics to ongoing policy discussions such as use-of-force guidance. The commission did not adopt any new crime-fighting policies at the meeting, instead noting continued review and public reporting of statistics.