In March 2016, the FBI reported that San Francisco topped the nation with the highest increase in rates of property crimes.
Much blame has been placed at the feet of Proposition 47, which reduced or removed penalties for property crimes, and of chronic police staffing shortages.
In the latest crime update from SFPD’s Northern Station, property crimes have continued their downward trend, with the notable exception of auto thefts.
From July to August of this year, the following changes have taken place citywide and in the Northern Station district, respectively: burglaries (down 6 percent and up 7 percent); auto theft (up 4 percent and 22 percent); theft from vehicles (down 14 percent and 17 percent); arson (down 16 percent and up 50 percent — which sounds like a large increase, but that is an increase from two to three incidents); and “other theft” down 8 percent and 12 percent.
In violent crime, homicides were down 100 percent both citywide and in the Northern District (there were no reported murders in the city in that time period); rape was down 17 percent citywide and held steady in the Northern District; robberies dropped 7 percent across the entire city and 11 percent in the Northern District; only aggravated assaults increased by 19 and 15 percent, respectively.
