Crime on the decline in San Francisco but discourse stays unchanged
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco officials are celebrating a sharp decline in crime in 2024 -- potentially the lowest rates in a decade.
According to the city, overall property crime is down 32%. But not everyone is feeling the decrease.
Ken Wicker has created a side business off of just that - preventing burglaries through people's garages in the Richmond District.
"I never did this for a business, I just did it to make the neighborhood safer," he told CBS News Bay Area.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Richmond has become a hotbed for robberies, particularly through garages. Wicker nearly became a victim himself but along with his son Quinn, they teamed up to create "Sure Lock Homes," and they've helped more than 200 people to date install locks on their garage doors.
"He would do the drilling," Wicker says of his son, "and I would get up on a ladder to do the rest, then about a year ago I said, 'You can take over this.'"
He said most nights between midnight at 5 a.m., "there's a van driving around and they're casing for crime." Wicker suggests that if a patrol car were positioned in the neighborhood during that time, such burglaries could be thwarted. But so far, burglaries, and therefor business, is consistent.
According to SFPD crime data, property crime in the Richmond is down 3.8% from the same time last year. But that's a far cry from areas like the Northern district, which covers Alamo Square up through Pacific Heights and the Marina, where property crime is down a whopping 38%.
According to the city, violent crime is down 14% and gun violence is down 37%.
"One of the core responsibilities of City government is to keep our residents, businesses, workers, and visitors safe, and my budget will deliver on that commitment," said Mayor London Breed, who announced additional investments to come for public safety measures in her 2025 budget proposal. "What we are doing is working, and we will build on that. This budget not only invests in having the workforce to keep our residents safe, but also in the technology, tools and teamwork to deliver results."
While the numbers show measurable improvement, Wicker said, demand for their business remains steady receiving at least 6 calls a month.
"All I know is I keep getting calls from people to come install these things," he said of the garage locks. "I walk through the park I walk along Fulton I see the glass on the streets I see you know I see the crime going on so I don't know if its reducing or not I'm sure there's a statistic out there that says it's reducing but I don't see the evidence for that."
The latest figures are some to be celebrated by Breed, running for re-election in a crowded and competitive field, but they're not felt by all.
The Taraval district - which covers the Sunset down through the border with Daly City - is the only area in San Francisco to see an increase in property crimes, jumping 3.2% this year.
Qinhe Li owns Kingdom of Dumpling on Taraval. He said on April 22, 2024, burglars broke through his front door and stole seven tablets. He was told by police there's nothing authorities could do.
"I really don't see that," he said of the latest crime data, "but I believe they can do something better to decrease crime."
"First, they have more police to get more security, and they say we can't do anything. What's the next step?" Li said. "You can't tell our merchants no next step, that's unacceptable."
For the Wickers, business remains steady, as Quinn is starting to take over from his father. But they're hopeful more investment in police in their neighborhood could be the prevention their community needs.