Why You're Not Getting Killed

San Francisco has lowest murder rate in nearly a decade

By JACKSON WEST
Updated 3:45 PM PST, Mon, Jul 6, 2009

TWITTER FACEBOOK

Thankfully, shrines to young men and women murdered in the Bay Area will prove a less common sight this year.
Liz Henry

Turns out you can reduce the levels of violent crime in San Francisco and Oakland, with both cities ticking off reductions in homicides and other incidents.

San Francisco's homicide rate has dropped nearly fifty percent so far this year compared to the same period last year, while major crimes in Oakland have declined 15 percent.

The SFPD attributes the decline to innovative policing techniques like officers walking beats in tough neighborhoods and arresting the perpetrators of earlier violent crimes.

Foot patrols and apprehending violent criminals -- who knew that would work? 

Photo by Liz Henry.

Jackson West wonders if it's a coincidence that the rate skyrocketed when officers were told to go after "quality of life" offenses instead of, you know, murderers.

First Published: Jul 6, 2009 2:50 PM PST

TWITTER FACEBOOK

  • 0% furious 0
  • 0% sad 0
  • 0% bored 0
  • 0% thrilled 0
  • 0% intrigued 0
  • 0% laughing 0
processing
          No comments have been posted yet.

          You have 2000 characters left

          processing
          So My City

          You are posting in (change)

          550/550 characters

          (jpg, pngs, or gifs allowed)

          (jpg, pngs, or gifs allowed)
          *Tip: You can also post moments via email or Twitter.

          processing

          View Your Moment in

          Posted by | 1 second ago

          Don't Miss

          local_beat

          Nov 6, 2009

          San Francisco Anti-Bigotry Resolution Back in Court

          Is San Francisco's Board of Supervisors pursuing "the final solution" to the Catholic problem?

          Read It

          local_beat

          Nov 6, 2009

          New York Newspaper Busts on Bay Area's Bikes

          Should California allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs? East Coasters have advice.

          Read It

          sports

          5 hours ago

          Sammy Sosa's Stunning Transformation

          Something is happening with Sammy Sosa's face.

          Read It
          Loading...
          Birthdate:
          You must be at least 13 to sign up.
          Gender:
          invalid

          By clicking the button below, I accept the terms of use and privacy policy

          Already Signed Up? Login Below.

          processing
          Here's what we're posting:

          *Only used for verification. We do not store your password.
          processing