Blog and News

A rise in unsettling crimes like home burglaries and anti-Asian hate gave San Franciscans an overwhelming sense they weren't safe, and voters recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Now what?

Stop Crime SF spent six months pursuing a public records request to get case outcome data from District Attorney Chesa Boudin. After facing refusals and resistance every step of the way, we finally prevailed. Here’s what we found.

San Francisco’s district attorney publishes a data dashboard called DA Stat. But there’s a problem. It doesn’t say what happens to cases beyond the filing of charges. This makes it difficult to measure Chesa Boudin’s effectiveness because the outcomes of cases — not mere charges — are what matter. And outcomes are a mystery on DA Stat.

A City Hall-commissioned study says police staffing in San Francisco is “severely inadequate.” Can we replenish the force with a new generation who embrace police reforms, are trained in de-escalation, and are truly committed to serving their communities?

Transparent crime data that is easily accessible to the public is essential for improving public safety.

Walgreens blames out-of-control shoplifting for having to close 22 stores in San Francisco this year. While theft affects the bottom line of businesses big and small, residents are also victims.

San Francisco’s outdated and inaccessible criminal records request system is an obstacle to public safety. It leaves journalists and crime victims unclear about what is actually happening in our criminal justice system. Our court must provide clear records on demand for everyone — it is essential to hold officials accountable.

San Francisco lacks a fully interconnected criminal justice computer database that shares information in real time. Good data that’s easy to access can help residents understand what is really happening in our district attorney’s office, the police department, and the courts.

When a 94-year-old woman was stabbed on the sidewalk outside her Lower Nob Hill home, local media in San Francisco named the victim and the suspect — but curiously never named a central figure in the story: Superior Court Judge Richard Darwin. This is a disservice to the public.

Another troubling week for Asian Americans. The discrimination of the past century is a direct line to modern San Francisco, where violence against Asian residents was a problem long before the politics of a pandemic scapegoated Asian Americans.

A TV news crew reporting on increased crime is robbed of their camera at gunpoint. Before expressing outrage over this ironic property crime, we can’t ignore the violent and senseless killings in San Francisco recently — especially the numerous attacks on Asian seniors.

District Attorney Chesa Boudin won his election promising bold criminal justice reforms. Yet accountability must accompany reform. Given the failures in the New Year’s Eve case that led to the death of two women, we must hold Chesa Boudin accountable for his pledge to “protect public safety in San Francisco.”

SFPD is making good progress on reforms. But a call to arbitrarily cut beat officers will not make San Francisco’s police department better or residents safer. We still need police to protect the public and we can’t forget about victims of crime. Sign the petition to stop further cuts to SFPD staffing.

San Francisco has separate police and fire training centers that are inadequate and need replacing. What if we built a combined public safety facility? It would be cost-effective and efficient. We can’t stop investing if we want to recruit and train better police. And there’s a perfect location for it on the westside.