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Mayor, police and airport officials cite big drop in homicides and defend airport body-scanning pilot
Summary
Mayor Gavin Newsom and Chief George Gascon on Jan. 6 credited a yearlong drop in homicides and other violent crime and defended use of whole-body imaging pilots at San Francisco International Airport, stressing privacy safeguards and expanded police presence.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Police Chief George Gascon on Jan. 6 highlighted substantial year-to-date declines in violent crime and defended an airport pilot that uses whole-body imaging to screen passengers.
"Homicides in San Francisco are down, 54% year to date," Newsom said, citing preliminary counts at a press briefing and urging continued community and interagency collaboration. He noted a 78% drop in homicides in the Mission and a 42% drop in Bayview-Hunters Point as examples of neighborhood-level change.
Chief Gascon told the Police Commission the department is increasing its presence at San Francisco International Airport and said airport and Transportation Security Administration protocols limit privacy risks from the scanners. "The face of the person is not a recognizable face," he said, adding that images cannot be printed or downloaded and are reviewed by operators who are isolated from the checkpoint.
John Martin, director of San Francisco International Airport, described additional security investments and said the airport has been part of a federal pilot of body-imaging technology for roughly a year with no formal complaints to the airport commission. He said the airport is upgrading cameras and biometric ID systems and is seeking federal funding to deploy more scanners.
The officials tied the city’s reported declines in homicide and nonfatal shootings to a combination of policing and community efforts. Gascon described targeted strategies that include assigning crime analysts to every police station, creating community forums and advisory boards, and deploying a data-driven "violence reduction" plan. "If it's predictable, it's preventable," a deputy chief summarized during the presentation.
The mayor acknowledged the reductions are preliminary and do not erase the harm to victims and families. Chief Gascon said homicide clearance rates are being recalculated under national reporting rules and that preliminary estimates may be in the 60–70% range.
Next steps: commissioners asked for a TSA briefing to show how the scanners operate and for further briefings on civil-liberties safeguards and potential health effects. The commission did not vote on airport equipment but voted to consider related items at a future meeting.
