Outgoing Mayor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon credit community partnerships and aggressive anti-crime strategies for the City's lowest crime trends since the 1960s.
There were actually five more homicide cases in 2010 than 2009, but overall the chief said crimes in San Francisco were down 8 percent. It was back in 2009 when the city saw a truly significant drop in homicides. The number fell to 45 from a total of 96 in 2008.
"Chief Gascon and the men and women of the San Francisco Police Department are making our City the safest big city in America through innovative use of data sets, strategic deployment of police resources and successful partnerships with our diverse communities and neighborhoods," Newsom said in a joint press conference Wednesday.
He add that it would take an ongoing commitment from the police to continue the trend.
Among the impressive numbers released Wednesday was the fact that San Francisco has the lowest homicides per capita of any major city in the country.
Chief Gascon also credited his officers for the improved stats. "We will continue to make San Francisco the safest big city in America by reducing crime and the perception of crime through the use of innovative strategic planning and by working collaboratively with our diverse communities that we serve," Gascon said.
