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S.F. police detail reports 10% rise in robberies; decoy operations yield arrests
Summary
Lieutenant Bill Canning told the San Francisco Police Commission that year‑to‑date robberies rose about 10%, that firearm use in armed robberies rose roughly 35%, and that RADOPS decoy and foot‑beat operations have produced arrests and localized declines in some corridors.
Lieutenant Bill Canning, head of the San Francisco Police Department robbery detail, told the Police Commission on Sept. 3 that year‑to‑date robberies in the city are up about 10% compared with the prior reporting period. "What my statistics show, year to date robberies in San Francisco, have increased by approximately 10%,” he said during the chief’s report segment.
Canning said the composition of robberies has shifted: overall armed robberies were down about 1%, but incidents involving a firearm rose by about 35%, and strong‑arm robberies increased roughly 35% as well. He cited economic pressures and increased ownership of portable electronics — laptops, cell phones and music players — as fuel for thefts.
To counter the trend, the robbery detail has deployed RADOPS (robbery abatement/decoy operations), tactical robbery‑abatement teams and a Market Street foot‑beat. Canning reported roughly 24–25 RADOPS this year that produced 109 arrests, and said the Market Street foot‑beat contributed to a roughly 7% decrease in robberies in the corridor between Fourth and Eighth streets since the unit’s implementation.
Commissioners pressed the lieutenant on resources and data quality. Canning said the robbery detail comprises about 20 investigators and that some data comparisons are not apples‑to‑apples: a recent internal change in how Muni incidents were recorded inflated year‑to‑date figures for pickpocketing and Muni robberies; he clarified that when methodology differences are excluded the spike is smaller. "When I took over the unit, I had my secretary start a new way of collecting data specifically for Muni… so as a result, these numbers are not accurate as far as if you're looking at it saying it went up, you know," he said.
Commissioners asked about coordination with Muni security and outreach to restaurants and businesses. Canning said district captains disseminate prevention materials, and that a liaison officer will coordinate an enforcement operation with Muni. He also emphasized interagency coordination with SWAT and gang‑task units for concentrated series of robberies.
The commission praised the officers who volunteer for decoy duty, noting the personal risk involved. Commissioners asked staff to provide clearer maps and consistent, public versions of the data so trends and geographic concentrations can be tracked more transparently. The department agreed to share materials and clarify methodologies in follow‑up reports.
