S.F. police chief reports overall drop in Part I crime, outlines multi-agency gang operation and parole concerns

SAN FRANCISCO — At a Police Commission community meeting, the police chief presented year‑to‑date crime figures and described a recent multi‑agency operation targeting parole and probation violations.

"Year to date, we're down 14% total serious crimes," the chief told the commission, citing a drop from 5,590 Part I incidents last year to 4,827 this year. He said property crimes were down 17% (from 4,616 to 3,829) but that violent crime was up about 2% (974 to 998) and homicides rose by three (from six to nine).

The chief highlighted a major gang operation conducted with federal partners, saying officers made 31 arrests (initially reported as 28), recovered six firearms and seized a "significant amount of narcotics." He described the effort as an ongoing blueprint to be repeated every four to six weeks and emphasized the multi‑agency nature of the work, including parole, probation, DEA, FBI and ATF participation.

He also warned that recent parole‑release practices complicate enforcement. The chief said some people are being released with so‑called "non‑revocable parole," and noted definitional and communication gaps between state parole records and local enforcement that can leave officers without clear notice when individuals with criminal histories return to the city. He said he has written to the governor's office asking for additional support.

Commissioners followed with questions about operations and community impacts; the chief offered to bring personnel staff back for a deeper presentation on recruitment and promotional processes. There were no formal votes tied to the chief's report.

The commission took public comment on the report; several residents and business owners praised Mission Station officers’ community engagement that they said contributed to improved local safety. The meeting later adjourned at 8:09 p.m.