San Francisco Crime Rates Spike: Police Inaction or systemic Issues?
San Francisco has seen a marked increase in crime rates, with robberies up by 40% in August 2020. The question of what the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is doing to address this issue leads to a complex web of systemic issues, police strategy, and public perception.
Police Inaction or Deep-Seated Issues?
When you live or visit San Francisco (SFO), you get to experience the reality of an environment where property crimes are merely tolerated to some extent. Expectations of the police to act are largely unfounded due to self-imposed limitations of their roles.
The issuance of insurance for theft or the decision not to own anything valuable might be seen as sensible advice, but it does not address the core issue of the increase in crime rates. The underlying problem goes beyond individual actions and involves broader systemic issues that have been perpetuated over the last decade.
Systemic Encouragement of Property Crime
Over the past 10 years, the city of San Francisco has actively encouraged property crime. This is evident in several ways:
Encouraging homelessness and drug addiction on city streets: The city has historically welcomed drug addicts and homeless individuals, reducing their consequences and in turn creating an environment where property crimes are more common.
Reducing the consequences of crimes: Light sentencing and lenient consequences for property crimes have essentially rendered these crimes virtually unchallenged. The lack of serious repercussions has emboldened would-be criminals.
Removing police from streets: The city's decision to reduce police presence and shift focus to social and non-enforcement areas has resulted in a visible lack of law enforcement.
Early release of criminals: The release of criminals with no real reintegration plans has further added to the population of potential wrongdoers in the city.
The cumulative effect of these actions is a higher crime rate, particularly property crimes. The rational person might ask, “How could this not be the result of these policies?” The answer, “I told you so,” can only come from those who have predicted this result.
What Does the Public Expect from the Police?
The expectations for police are straightforward: they should protect and serve the community. Their role should be to deter crime rather than merely respond to it. For this to work effectively, the police need to be a visible and non-authoritative presence, deterring criminals and ensuring safety without resorting to unnecessary force.
In San Francisco, the visibility of the police has been reduced through a combination of factors, including active intervention in political and social issues. This lack of visibility has emboldened criminals, who are now more likely to engage in criminal activities.
A more effective approach would be for the police to:
Focus on crime prevention rather than intervention after the fact.
Treat citizens as customers, not enemies.
Investigate serious criminality rather than wasting time on minor infractions.
Improving these areas would significantly decrease the crime rate and restore public trust in the police force.
Conclusion
San Francisco's crime rates rise when the police are seen as less effective or absent, and when systemic policies have made crime less of an issue. Addressing the root causes of these issues is necessary to improve public safety and restore public trust in law enforcement.