SFPD Releases 2017 Year-End Crime Statistics 18-032

Data shows decrease in homicides, shooting incidents, burglaries and auto thefts The San Francisco Police Department today released its 2017 crime data as reported to the FBI through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. The data indicates that while Part I crimes increased 11.8 percent in 2017. Homicides decreased 3.4 percent Homicides by firearms decreased 5 percent Non-fatal shooting incidents decreased 15.8 percent Human trafficking decreased 32.6 percent Assaults against SFPD police officers decreased 4 percent compared to 2016 Through enforcement efforts, the SFPD seized 1,023 firearms in 2017 and collected 275 guns during buyback events, a 29.7 percent increase over 2016. “Reducing violent crime is and will always be our top priority,” said Police Chief William Scott. “We’re working closely with community members and our City partners to reduce gun related violence. Protecting lives and providing safety for the public- particularly our youth- is key to ensuring a vibrant future for everyone.” UCR data shows San Francisco and neighboring Bay Area cities experienced a rise in property crimes during the first six months of 2017. San Francisco saw a 24 percent increase in thefts from vehicles last year. To address these types of crimes, SFPD in 2017 doubled its citywide uniformed foot patrols to deter street crime and focus on neighborhood quality of life issues. Last November, the department created a General Crimes Unit to address serial residential and commercial burglaries, auto break-ins, bicycle thefts and other neighborhood property crimes. In January, 2018, SFPD command staff assigned district station officers to work directly with community members on crime trends, education and prevention strategies. Last year, San Francisco police officers booked or cited 790 people for thefts from vehicles. The 2017-2018 data shows a downward trend in auto burglaries, auto thefts and burglaries: Auto burglaries decreased 11 percent citywide between November 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017 Auto burglaries decreased 5 percent citywide between December 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018 Auto thefts decreased 11 percent in 2017 Burglaries decreased .8 percent in 2017 “We take these crimes seriously and are allocating our resources toward deterrence and investigations,” said Chief Scott. “By collaborating with community members, San Francisco businesses and law enforcement partner agencies, we can address crime through education, prevention and the effective investigation and prosecution of criminals.” The UCR program counts crimes when they become known to the police. A series of 13 reports are submitted to the California Department of Justice each month;CA DOJ in turn reports this data to the FBI. Crime incidents, values of stolen and recovered property values, homicide information, crimes against seniors, hate crimes and domestic violence incidents are some of the summary reports submitted each month to CA DOJ. The submittal deadline is the 10th of the month following the close of the month. The UCR program is considered a "snapshot of crime" reported in one month. Crime is counted based upon a hierarchical rule following FBI definitions and guidelines, so that all jurisdictions participating in the UCR program follow the same rules. Figures are only updated twice annually. The San Francisco Police Department also produces a monthly CompStat profile, which often includes additional crimes which have been reported after the UCR submittal deadline. CompStat focuses on crimes which have occurred during the month, an important distinction from the UCR standard. These profiles provide a more up-to-date picture of crime in San Francisco, and are used to better evaluate crime fighting strategies and deployment efforts. CompStat reports are posted on our website at sanfranciscopolice.org/compstatreports. The 2017 UCR year-end crime statistics accompany this news release and are also available on the CompStat webpage. For more information about the UCR program, please visit ucr.fbi.gov/word.