San Francisco's broad crime drop continued in early 2026, with robbery, assault, and property crime all down sharply. But shootings and gun-violence victims are edging up, a sign the city should keep backing effective policing while intensifying pressure on repeat violent offenders.

SFPD is cutting station overtime hours by 22% as City Hall seeks $100 million in personnel savings. Overtime has doubled in recent years, but the city is also already pursuing hiring/civilianization and tighter overtime tracking—so the test now is whether leaders can cut costs without quietly shrinking proactive policing, and whether they’ll publish clear monthly metrics to prove it.

SFPD says officers broke up a Jan. 18 Outer Richmond sideshow, arrested two men, towed vehicles, and seized an illegal assault rifle and ammunition. It’s a reminder that stunt-driving events aren’t “harmless fun” — they’re organized disorder that puts neighborhoods at risk.

San Francisco ended 2025 with just 28 homicides—the fewest since 1954—and major drops in robbery, theft, and car break-ins. Other big cities also reported declines, underscoring a broader post-pandemic trend—but SF still needs better clearance rates and sustained enforcement to keep neighborhoods feeling safe.

Thanks to Supervisor Danny Sauter, the fine for sideshows has been doubled to $1000.

Mayor Daniel Lurie selected Deputy Chief Derrick Lew, a veteran investigator and leader of San Francisco’s drug-market crackdown, as the city’s next police chief, signaling a continued focus on enforcement, technology, and public-safety results.

An SFPD officer’s shooting of a dog and its owner on Market Street underscores San Francisco’s rising dog-bite problem and the collapse of the city’s "canine court" system for dealing with dangerous animals.

Supervisor Sauter seeks $1,000 penalties as city targets dangerous street takeovers with stronger deterrents.

Four retired officers will patrol the neighborhoods as unarmed ambassadors to support small businesses facing safety concerns.

The SFPD is facing a staffing shortage and will hire retired officers to help fill the gap during special events.

A Grand Jury report shows that Vision Zero has failed, with 2024 being the most deadly year for traffic deaths since 2007. SFPD must start enforcing traffic laws.

Interim Police Chief Paul Yep promotes a dozen leaders, including union head Tracy McCray, aiming to stabilize the SFPD amid leadership turnover.

Thanks to $9.4M in donations, the SFPD’s Real Time Investigations Center is getting a major upgrade—No more asbestos ceilings and stained carpets, their new modern office will have video walls, drones, and more staffing to drive down crime.

Despite a projected $782 million budget deficit, Mayor Daniel Lurie’s budget proposal does not cut funding from San Francisco’s core public safety services.

After eight years as San Francisco’s top cop, Chief Bill Scott is stepping down this summer amid growing pressure for change.

Car break-ins, burglaries, and robberies are all down significantly, and more than other cities.

Emergency calls and drug-related reports are surging at 16th and Mission, the latest epicenter of San Francisco’s disorder.

Car break-ins have fallen from a pandemic peak of 21,800 to just 8,500 per year.