San Francisco plans to increase police presence this holiday season to crack down on shoplifters — despite dismantling the police department amid BLM protests just two years ago.
Union Square – the main shopping area in San Francisco – will see an increase in police officers patrolling the area around Powell and Market streets, just in time for the holiday shopping season.
Officials say the increased police presence will deter criminals and make the area safer for stores and shoppers.
The call for an escalated police presence parallels the city’s efforts to discourage retail crime, control theft and encourage visitors to return to downtown San Fran after the crime-ridden city suffered a reputation had acquired because of drugs, homelessness and lawlessness.
The new expanded patrol measures come just a few years after the liberal city — led by Democrat Mayor London Breed — confidently called for the dismantling of police amid the Black Lives Matter movement.
In February 2021, Breed announced plans to redirect $120 million from the police department to a combination of new and existing programs.
Union Square – the main shopping area in San Francisco – will see an increase in police officers patrolling the area around Powell and Market streets, just in time for the holiday shopping season
In San Francisco’s crime-ridden downtown, many shops and restaurants have closed since the dramatic demise
The call for an escalated police presence comes amid the city’s efforts to discourage retail crime, control theft and encourage visitors to return to downtown San Fran after the crime-ridden city suffered a reputation had acquired because of drugs, homelessness and lawlessness.
At Union Sqaure, the San Francisco Police Department will increase the number of uniformed officers on the streets at all times and has increased the reach of its undercover officers.
Holiday shoppers should also prepare for limited parking and increased patrols in parking garages – which the city hopes will further prevent criminal activity.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins criticized the city’s perception, emphasizing that the increased police presence in Union Square would help deter criminals.
“Some news outlets have continued to spread the story that we are not enforcing our laws here in San Francisco and throughout the state of California. But I’m here today to remind everyone that those days are over here in San Francisco,” she said. “We will prosecute those who commit crimes in this city, and that includes organized shoplifting.”
Officials say the increased police presence will deter criminals and make the area safer for stores and shoppers
The increased police presence in Union Square is part of San Fran’s Safe Shopper Initiative – which was announced by Breed in 2021 after a wave of looting swept across the city that mainly targeted luxury stores in Union Square.
The increased police presence in Union Square is part of San Fran’s Safe Shopper Initiative – which was announced by Breed in 2021 after a wave of looting swept across the city that mainly targeted luxury stores in Union Square.
The Louis Vuitton store in Union Square was the victim of many robberies that eventually forced the store to board up its windows.
Police Chief Bill Scott said the department quadrupled the number of officers patrolling the commercial corridor last year — and that number will be even higher this year.
Mayor Breed announced a $17 million grant to assist in efforts to expand policing and take action to combat shoplifting ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Breed said the funding would go toward paying officers overtime for the chaotic period when they conducted targeted shoplifting operations.
Money will also go to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office to fund a prosecutor and investigator to handle shoplifting cases.
San Francisco has become infamous for homelessness, crime, theft and drugs in a post-pandemic decline
A slew of the city’s restaurateurs cited crime, drugs and declining tourism as the main culprits killing their businesses. Pictured: Homeless people living near Union Square in San Francisco
In San Francisco’s crime-ridden downtown, many shops and restaurants have closed since the dramatic demise.
In October, it was reported that seven Starbucks stores were planning to close as the city continues to struggle with crime, drug use and a homelessness epidemic.
In late August, a video was released showing the recently closed flagship Nordstrom store in San Francisco, nearly barren after nearly three decades in business.
A slew of the city’s restaurateurs cited crime, drugs and declining tourism as the main culprits killing their businesses, all on Valencia Street.
The thoroughfare, about a mile from the city’s embattled downtown, is considered one of the most sought-after restaurants in the Bay Area.
But for residents of San Francisco’s Mission District, the reality is very different. The area — like Union Square’s nearby “Doom Loop,” City Hall, and the Tenderloin and Mid Market neighborhoods — is a hive of unsavory, post-pandemic activity.
The city’s Ikea was almost empty earlier this month as customers say ongoing construction, lack of parking and constant crime in the surrounding streets keeps them from shopping in the store.