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SFPD chief reports 2025 crime declines and highlights staffing shortfalls
Summary
SFPD Chief Liu told the Police Commission the city saw declines in overall, violent and property crime in 2025, highlighted a strong homicide clearance rate and recovery of roughly 1,017 firearms, and said the department remains about 690 sworn officers below recommended staffing levels.
Chief Liu told the San Francisco Police Commission that the city’s overall crime declined in 2025, reporting ‘‘a 25% decrease in crime, including an 18% decrease in violent crime, and a 27% decrease in property crime for 2025.’’ He said the department closed the year with 28 homicides, ‘‘a decrease of 20% over 2024,’’ and described a homicide-unit clearance rate that he summarized as ‘‘125%’’ after accounting for arrests and other resolutions.
Liu listed more detailed trends: a 14% decrease in the number of victims of gun violence, a 24% decrease in robberies overall and a 45% drop in robberies involving a firearm, a 12% decline in assaults and a 17% drop in reported rapes. He said human-trafficking reports rose 18% from 2024 to 2025, which he attributed in part to the human-trafficking unit being staffed with five full-time members and more proactive operations that increased reporting and arrests.
On property crime, Liu said burglaries fell 28%, motor vehicle thefts fell 44% and arsons decreased 9%. He told commissioners car break-ins closed the year at approximately 5,369 incidents, the lowest total since the department began using its current data warehouse in 2011. Liu also said officers recovered roughly 1,017 firearms, made 6,683 arrests related to drug markets and seized more than 56 pounds of fentanyl over the year.
The chief acknowledged staffing gaps and said the department was ‘‘short staffed by around 690 sworn staff, below the recommended baseline,’’ a shortfall the department is covering with overtime while continuing recruitment efforts. Liu said 2025 produced the first net positive staffing increase since the pandemic and that hiring hundreds of officers remains a top priority.
Liu also reviewed the department’s event and public-order responsibilities in 2025 and upcoming 2026 deployments, citing work supporting more than 70 major events and planning for the Super Bowl, Dreamforce, JPMorgan conferences and other large gatherings.
President Clay and several commissioners praised the year-end numbers at the meeting, while Commissioner Scott asked a follow-up about the nature of firearm recoveries; Liu said recoveries span arrests and other incident types rather than a single large seizure.
The commission received the chief’s report; no formal action was taken beyond questions and acknowledgment.
