Has the violent crime rate in San Francisco gone up since the election of a reform-minded District Attorney?
Data indicates that San Francisco’s downward trend in violent crime has continued since Chesa Boudin, an advocate of progressive criminal-justice reforms, became the city’s District Attorney in 2020.
The city police department reports a decline in violent crimes since 2017:
- 2017: 63,489.
- 2018: 59,379.
- 2019: 57,775.
- 2020: 44,423.
- 2021 (to September 5): 30,978.
Notably, the biggest drop occurred in 2020, Boudin’s first year in office. However, it is difficult to attribute any causation to his policy changes given that crime rates dropped nationally due to the pandemic.
San Francisco’s crime rate so far in 2021 is 0.8% higher than in the same period in 2020 (January 1 to September 5).
A second attempt to recall Boudin is underway after an attempt earlier in 2021 failed to garner sufficient public support. His policies are at “the polarizing core” of a community debate over policing and prosecution policies, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.