The city of San Francisco continues to experience a historic drop in crime.
But before the city takes a full victory lap, and despite the historic declines over the past two years, homicides spiked in the early months of 2026.
So far, 14 killings have been reported, compared to four during the same time period last year, raising concerns about whether the efforts to curb crime need to be adjusted.
Nine of those killings were a result of a firearm, with 26 shooting incidents so far this year, compared to 26 incidents reported last year.
President Donald Trump acknowledged San Francisco’s Mayor Daniel Lurie, who campaigned on increasing public safety and revitalizing San Francisco and was elected to office in 2024.
“He’s (Lurie’s) trying very hard, but we could do it much more effectively because he can’t do what we do,” said Trump during a Cabinet meeting in March.
Trump said he spoke to the mayor and others in Silicon Valley who asked the president to give Lurie a fair chance.
“I had friends calling me up from San Francisco, ‘Could you give him a chance?’” Trump said, according to an ABC News affiliate. “I said, ‘Absolutely, if you want, we’ll give him a chance.’ He’s trying; he’s doing OK, but we can do much better. We can make it a lot safer than it is.”
Lurie, in his response to Trump’s comments, noted that crime is overall down by nearly 30% while encampments remain at a record low.
“We are going to stay laser-focused on keeping our streets safe and clean,” he said and touted “public safety” as his office’s top priority.
Here’s a breakdown of the citywide crime statistics from the SFPD, published on April 1.
- Robberies are down by 33% compared to last year.
- Burglary, motor vehicle theft, and larceny theft are down by about a third.
- Car break-ins were half what they were in the first three months of the previous year and 85% lower than in 2023.
- Assaults are down by 10% compared to the same time last year.
In October last year, Trump, describing San Francisco as a “mess,” considered deploying the National Guard to the city, but he reversed the decision after appeals from Lurie and prominent area leaders.
Trump deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Portland, and Memphis to combat the rising crime.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in his State of the State address earlier this year, touted the success in combating crime and homelessness.
“We have seen double-digit decreases in crime overall in the state of California,” Newsom said. “We’ve got more work to do, but to those with that California derangement syndrome, I’ll repeat — it’s time to update your talking points.”