CBS 5: San Francisco Crime Rate Drops 12%

The crime rate in San Francisco has dropped 12 percent so far this year, according to new statistics released Monday by the police department.

Police Captain Albert Pardini reeled off the new stats to the Supervisors' Committee Monday: rape down 9 percent, robbery 23 percent, homicide 57 percent, motor vehicle theft 17 percent, arson 7 percent -- with a total overall reduction of 12 percent. He credited zone policing and the success of the police department in arresting suspects in a number of serial burglaries around the city.

Whatever the reason, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi who represents residents in the high crime area of the Western Addition was ready to tip his hat.

"It's good to be at this place where we're seeing such progress on many levels in the City and County," Mirkirimi said. "I think the police department is doing a solid job."

The big story continues to be the major reduction in homicides in San Francisco. There were 20 murders as of June 6, 2009 -- compared to 47 during the same period last year.

Full article.

A Formula for Falling Homicides

The Chron ran an article over the weekend highlighting the 58% fall in the homicide rate.

"Five months into 2009, the city has recorded 17 homicides compared to 45 at this time last year and 40 at this time in 2007.

There have been nine black male murder victims this year, compared to 23 at this time in 2008 and 16 in 2007. And there have been no murders attributable to black-on-black gang violence this year, which was long pegged as one of the prime drivers in the city's spiking murder rate.

Crime analysts say crime rates usually climb during economic recessions, making this year's homicide drop even more unlikely. Kevin Ryan, the director of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, credited the new "zone strategy," in which police officers flood the most crime-ridden neighborhoods.

He said a renewed focus on high-risk people on probation and violent gangs is also working. He also praised the District Attorney's office for tougher charging on gang and gun crimes and the Department of Justice for getting involved in the gang cases.

"We have come up with a formula that has stemmed the tide for now, but we must watch the trends and be prepared for new strategies as the situation requires," he said."

Kron4 Reports on the 58% Decrease in Homicides

Strong Success in Violence Reduction

The Chronicle ran a very positive story on the SFPD's presentation before the Police Commission last night. There are tangible gains, the product of a focused deployment strategy.

Gun bloodshed dropped sharply in San Francisco in the first year of a police effort to focus crime-fighting efforts on the city's five hardest-hit areas, authorities said Wednesday

Nonfatal shootings were down 35 percent both citywide and in the five neighborhoods, which police said was a sign that stepped-up enforcement wasn't simply driving violence into other areas. "It was down 35 percent in the zones, 35 percent citywide," said Deputy Chief Kevin Cashman, who is in charge of the department's patrol efforts. "We didn't displace gun violence."

There were 11 nonfatal shootings in the Tenderloin in the past year, compared with 25 the year before - a drop of 56 percent. Homicides declined from nine to seven. Police credited drug enforcement and more officers walking beats in the mid-Market Street area with reducing bloodshed there.

The results were also dramatic in the Western Addition, where nonfatal shootings plunged more than 73 percent - from 34 in the year before the police campaign began to just nine in the 12 months ending Feb. 4. Homicides dropped from seven to five.

A court injunction that the city obtained against three gangs in the area, barring members from gathering in public or being out late at night, has been "very effective" in reducing Western Addition violence, Cashman said.

In the Mission District, the increased enforcement kept an outbreak of gang violence last fall from being worse than it was, Cashman said. "A potential gang war was averted," he said. Nonfatal shootings dropped from 34 to 25, a decrease of 26 percent; while homicides dropped from 13 to eight.

In the Bayview District, homicides dropped 30 percent, from 20 to 14, but nonfatal shootings were down by only two - 47 this past year, compared with 49 the year before. In Visitacion Valley, the number of homicides dropped to five, from 10 the year before. Nonfatal shootings were down 33 percent, from 30 to 20.

KVR

Broken Windows?

The Broken Windows theory states that focusing on ‘low-level’ crime (disorderly behavior) can directly impact more serious and violent crime. Take the below example:

Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it's unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside.

Intervening early in the cycle can prevent more serious crimes. While some dispute Broken Windows, many, such as Chief Bratton (Los Angeles) and Commissioner Kelly (New York), remain strong proponents. Their policing strategies reflect this. In particular, I’d like to draw your attention to Commissioner Kelly’s recent editorial in the New York Post:

Crime in New York began to fall under Mayor David Dinkins and continued to drop under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani - to the point that in 2002 many thought it had nowhere to go but up. Instead, under Mayor Bloomberg, new record lows were posted, year after year: Crime fell nearly 30 percent from 2001 to 2008, while quality of life improved (…)

How did it happen? The NYPD focused on low-level crime as never before. It deployed officers in large, concentrated numbers in precisely-defined zones where spikes in violent crime occurred.

Like any strategy, Broken Windows isn’t a stand-alone panacea. It’s meant to be used in coordination with other proven and effective strategies, such as CompStat, Community Policing and effective social service delivery (i.e. the CJC, modeled after New York's Red Hook Community Justice Center).

But it can be successful. We need look no further than our own Tenderloin. Just last week, in the Examiner, Captain Gary Jimenez explained how, along with community policing, increased policing presence and quality-of-life enforcement has been critical to reducing violence in the Tenderloin:

Murders dropped from nine in 2007 to four last year. Robbery dropped 9 percent, and aggravated assault plummeted nearly 14 percent (…)

Jimenez also attributed some of the success to the citywide “zone” strategy, where the police presence is concentrated in San Francisco’s most violent neighborhood. Tenderloin officers have also cracked down on quality-of-life offenses, increasing their narcotics arrests by 22 percent from 2007 to 2008 and disorderly conduct arrests by nearly 184 percent.

I, for one, believe that Broken Windows can be an effective strategy. But what's better than fixing broken windows is working together to prevent them from being broken in the first place. Indeed, not having to fix them should be the measure of success to which we aspire.

-Kev.

Community Policing and Zone Strategy Driving Successes in Tenderloin

The Examiner reported today on how a combination of increased community engagement and the targeted deployment of resources has succeeded in both solving and reducing crime in the Tenderloin.

Murders dropped from nine in 2007 to four last year. Robbery dropped 9 percent, and aggravated assault plummeted nearly 14 percent (…)

Tenderloin Police Station Capt. Gary Jimenez, who briefed neighborhood residents and The City’s Police Commission last week, said each of the murders were solved because of the focus on community policing. While entire neighborhoods in San Francisco have been intimidated into silence, Tenderloin residents feel more comfortable sharing information with police because they know and trust them (…)

Jimenez also attributed some of the success to the citywide “zone” strategy, where the police presence is concentrated in San Francisco’s most violent neighborhood. Tenderloin officers have also cracked down on quality-of-life offenses, increasing their narcotics arrests by 22 percent from 2007 to 2008 and disorderly conduct arrests by nearly 184 percent.