The San Francisco Police Department has set up a mobile command van in the city's Mission District with the goal of improving public safety.
The van, located at 16th and Mission, seeks to send a message to anyone looking to deal drugs, set up illegal vending operations, or other crimes.
"I'm glad to see there. [It] makes me a lot safer, make me feel wow, there is hope," said Adel Alghazali, a business owner.
Alghazali said he hopes the stepped-up police presence will help with with one of his biggest problems, shoplifters.
"It's really good to see it there hopefully, it stays. [I] hope it will remain there," he said.
Police Chief Bill Scott said the new mobile unit is part of the city's larger response to public safety hotspots, in addition to the message.
"We want to as much as we can stop those types of behaviors before people getting assaulted or robbed or shot or have an opportunity to use drugs here in the open or sell drugs in the open, " Scott said. "It's much about prevention as it is enforcement."
Local
Some in the neighborhood said they believe crackdowns on drug markets elsewhere in the city have pushed problems into the Mission.
Scott said consistency is critical to preventing that.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
"We want to send that message if you go to the next block, we’re going to go there," he said.
The move follows recent raids at Jefferson Square Park and in the Mission.
Mayor Daniel Lurie reaffirmed his stance on a commitment to public safety on Thursday.
"What you have from me, and my administration, SFPD and the sheriff and DPW is a commitment to be relentless on going after those who are dealing drugs and those who are using drugs. We need to get them off the street and into mental and drug treatment beds," Lurie said.
