SAN FRANCISCO – Officials in San Francisco are celebrating a sharp drop in crime by 2024 – possibly the lowest rates in a decade.
According to the city, overall property crime is down 32%. But not everyone feels the decline.
Ken Wicker has turned that into a side business: preventing burglaries in people’s garages in the Richmond District.
“I never did this for a company, I just did it to make the neighborhood safer,” he told CBS News Bay Area.
Since the pandemic began, Richmond has become a hotbed of robberies, especially through garages. Wicker himself almost fell victim, but along with his son Quinn, they worked together to create “Sure Lock Homes,” and have helped more than 200 people install locks on their garage doors to date.
“He would do the drilling,” Wicker says of his son, “and I would get up on a ladder to do the rest, and about a year ago I said, ‘You can take this over.’”
He said most nights between midnight and 5 a.m., “There’s a van driving around and they’re investigating crime.” Wicker suggests that if there was a patrol car in the area during that time, such burglaries could be thwarted. But so far the burglaries, and thus the business world, have been consistent.
According to SFPD crime data, property crime in Richmond is down 3.8% from the same period last year. But that’s a far cry from areas like the North District, which covers Alamo Square all the way to Pacific Heights and the marina, where property crime has dropped by as much as 38%.
According to the city, violent crime is down 14% and gun violence is down 37%.
“One of the core responsibilities of city government is to protect our residents, businesses, employees and visitors, and my budget will deliver on that promise,” said Mayor London Breed, who announced additional investments for public safety measures in her municipality. Budget proposal 2025. “What we are doing is working, and we will build on that. This budget invests not only in the workforce to protect our residents, but also in the technology, tools and teamwork to deliver results.”
While the numbers show measurable improvement, Wicker says, demand for their business remains steady and she receives at least six calls a month.
“All I know is I keep getting calls from people to come and install these things,” he said of the garage locks. “I walk through the park, I walk past Fulton, I see the glass on the street, I see you know I see the crime happening so I don’t know if it’s decreasing or not. I’m sure there’s a statistic that says that it is so.” decrease, but I see no evidence for that.”
The latest numbers should be celebrated by Breed, who is running for re-election in a crowded and competitive field, but they are not being felt by everyone.
The Taraval district – which covers the Sunset to the Daly City border – is the only area in San Francisco to see an increase in property crimes, up 3.2% this year.
Qinhe Li owns Kingdom of Dumpling on Taraval. He said on April 22, 2024, burglars broke through his front door and stole seven tablets. Police told him there was nothing the authorities could do.
“I really don’t see that,” he said of the latest crime data, “but I believe they can do something better to reduce crime.”
“First, they have more police to ensure more security, and they say there’s nothing we can do. What’s next?” Li said. “You cannot tell our traders the next step, that is unacceptable.”
Things remain steady for the Wickers as Quinn begins to take over from his father. But they are hopeful that more investment in police in their neighborhoods can be the prevention their community needs.
