SFPD Reports 844 Retail Theft Arrests as Commission Ramps Up Surveillance Scrutiny

The San Francisco Police Commission heard encouraging crime numbers Wednesday night — Part 1 crime down 18% year-to-date — but the meeting's sharpest moments came over surveillance policy and the fallout from a controversial Transmarch enforcement action. Commissioners signaled they want a deeper look at how the department uses drones and other monitoring technologies, pulling a surveillance report for a standalone hearing and opening public comment on the drone operations policy.

• SFPD's retail theft task force logs 844 arrests in six months, recovers $410,000 in stolen merchandise, and reports a roughly 20% decline in theft cases

• Commission pulls surveillance monitoring report from consent calendar for standalone fall hearing, citing intense public interest

• Public comment window on drone policy DGO 10.12 open through Sept. 20, with hearing set for Oct. 14

• SFPD reaches out to Office of Transgender Initiatives to facilitate community meeting on Transmarch enforcement

• Commission launches first-ever performance review process for the Police Chief and DPA Executive Director

Retail Theft Crackdown: 844 Arrests and a New Focus on Fencing

Why it matters: SFPD is expanding its organized retail theft strategy from street-level arrests to targeting the buyers and resellers of stolen goods — a shift that could reshape how the city combats a problem that has driven national headlines and local business anxiety.

Where things stand: Police Chief Derrick Lew reported that the department's organized retail theft task force — a multi-agency partnership with the U.S. District Attorney, Sheriff, CHP, and other agencies — made 844 arrests for retail theft over the past six months and recovered more than $410,000 in stolen merchandise.

"In the last six months, we've made 844 arrests for retail theft crime. During that same period, we've recovered over $410,000 in stolen merchandise," said Chief Lew. "In the last two months, we've made almost 100 fencing related arrests and we've seen a roughly 20% decline in theft cases this year."

The task force uses "blitz operations" — coordinated deployments of undercover and uniformed officers working with retail loss prevention teams for real-time arrests at high-volume theft locations. The department is also expanding online reporting tools for retailers to upload theft evidence and media, allowing investigators to bundle cases for stronger prosecution. The newest component targets the "demand side" through fencing operations aimed at buyers and sellers of stolen property, with nearly 100 fencing-related arrests in the last two months alone.

The bigger picture: The Chief framed the strategy as both enforcement and deterrence, responding to viral videos of retail theft that he said contribute to public insecurity. The roughly 20% decline in theft cases, combined with nearly 100 fencing arrests, suggests the task force is moving beyond reactive policing toward disrupting the broader stolen-goods supply chain — a model that other cities grappling with organized retail theft are watching closely.

Surveillance Under the Microscope: Report Pulled, Drone Policy Comment Opens

Why it matters: In two related moves, the Commission signaled it is taking a harder look at SFPD's expanding use of surveillance technology — pulling a monitoring report for a dedicated hearing and opening the public comment window on the department's drone operations policy.

Where things stand: Vice President Kevin Benedicto moved to remove the Q1 and Q2 live monitoring report from the consent calendar, asking that it be separately agendized for a full hearing this fall. He cited the volume of public testimony the Commission received the previous week.

"I think if there — that was made abundantly clear from last week's public comment — is a lot of public attention around surveillance," Commissioner Benedicto said. He also asked Chief Lew for year-over-year trend data on surveillance deployments, noting that drone deployments had increased over time. The motion passed 6-0 (Commissioner Cindy Elias absent).

Separately, Commissioner Benedicto read the full public notice soliciting comment on DGO 10.12, the department's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations policy. The Commission had delayed voting on the drone policy at its Sept. 2 meeting after hearing public opposition. Written comments can be emailed to the Commission through Sept. 20, after which SFPD's Policy Development Division will prepare responses. The policy is scheduled for hearing at the Oct. 14 meeting. Commissioner Benedicto also noted the department is preparing a substantive response to a letter from eight community organizations regarding the drone policy, though Chief Lew did not have a timeline for that response.

What's next: The standalone surveillance hearing will give commissioners — and the public — a more detailed look at how often SFPD deploys drones, automated license plate readers, and other monitoring tools, and whether those deployments are trending upward. The Oct. 14 drone policy hearing will be the next major decision point.

Transmarch Enforcement: SFPD Turns to Transgender Initiatives Office

Why it matters: The June 26 Transmarch enforcement drew sustained public criticism and a formal supervisor inquiry; a facilitated community meeting would be the first official engagement with the affected community.

Where things stand: Chief Lew told commissioners that SFPD has reached out to the Office of Transgender Initiatives to serve as a third-party facilitator for a community meeting about the Transmarch incident. "Our department's reached out to the Office of Transgender Initiatives, and we're looking to them to be kind of a third party to help us work through this," he said, adding that the department was meeting with OTI the following day to determine the venue, format, and facilitation approach.

The other side: During general public comment, a public commenter pressed on three unresolved issues: the lack of progress scheduling a town hall, the department's refusal to disclose how many officers were present during the 22-minute enforcement window — calling the headcount "a relatively simple and achievable task" — and discrepancies between the department's response to Supervisor Fielder's letter of inquiry and a Mission Local article regarding whether a dispersal order was given on Washburn Street before arrests were made. The speaker asked the Commission, DPA, or SFPD to formally investigate the discrepancies.

Commissioner Elias thanked the Chief for the update on the community meeting, and Commissioner Benedicto asked Chief Lew to update the Commission if the meeting occurs before the scheduled October return.

Commission Launches Chief and DPA Director Performance Reviews

President C. Don Clay announced that Michael Hughes, an employment law specialist from the city attorney's office, will assist the Commission in developing a performance review process for the Police Chief and DPA Executive Director. President Clay noted that no historical information exists about previous reviews — meaning the Commission has never had a documented evaluation process for its two most senior executives. The move marks a significant step toward formalizing accountability at the top of the department's civilian oversight structure.

President Clay also reported that Sergeant Youngblood is coordinating with district captains to schedule community meetings where commissioners can meet directly with residents across the city.

DPA Automates Reporting, Tracks ALPR Audit

Why it matters: The Department of Police Accountability is building a public-facing dashboard that could dramatically speed up transparency reports — and is collaborating with SFPD on a tracking system for the ongoing automated license plate reader audit.

Executive Director Paul Henderson reported that DPA is developing an automated legislation dashboard that consolidates key agency reports, including the openness report. "The automation can reduce the production time to just two days which significantly will improve our efficiency and providing the public with timely access to important information," Director Henderson said — down from a previous two-week production cycle.

He also noted DPA staff had participated as panelists in three sessions at John O'Connell High School for Public Service Pathway students as part of the Know Your Rights program developed with the Public Defender's office. DPA opened 22 cases and closed 24 since the last meeting, with the most common allegation being officers failing to properly investigate or neglect of duty.

Commissioner Larry Yee asked whether the increase in DPA complaint volume reflected improved public accessibility or rising police misconduct. Director Henderson said there is no direct correlation. "Cases, allegations, and complaints are up. That's an absolute in terms of that being a direct causation of how and what gets sustained. It's not direct," he said, explaining that spikes often follow high-profile incidents or viral videos.

Crime Trends: Part 1 Down 18%, No Shootings in Reporting Period

Chief Lew reported broad declines across major crime categories: Part 1 crime is down 18% year-to-date compared to 2025, with violent crime down 9% and property crime down 19%. Homicides stand at 16 year-to-date, the same figure reported at this point in 2025, and no shootings occurred during the reporting period. Drug market enforcement from Aug. 31 through Sept. 6 yielded 11 narcotics trafficking arrests, 67 warrant arrests associated with drug markets, 55 public user arrests, more than two pounds of narcotics seized, and four firearms seized. The department has 82 officers currently in the academy across two classes, with graduations set for January and March 2027.

Minor Items

• $97,000 narcotics-detecting canine grant from the Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) approved as part of the consent calendar.

• SFPD department awards certification and DPA quarterly report for Q2 2026 received and filed (6-0, Commissioner Elias absent).

• DGO 5.14 (Interagency Operations) and DGO 8.11 (Officer-Involved Shooting Investigations) were both removed from the agenda without stated reason and continued to a future meeting.

• Paulette Brown spoke during both general and agenda public comment about the unsolved 2006 murder of her son, Aubrey Abracassa, urging the department to publicize the tipster reward program beyond the police website and to inform potential witnesses that they can testify anonymously.

• President Clay and Vice President Benedicto praised the API Council forum — one of roughly three remaining community affinity groups from the 14 originally recommended by the DOJ collaborative reform report — as a model for community-police engagement. Commissioners noted concerns raised at the forum about the poor condition of police vehicles; Commissioner Benedicto said a car assigned during a ride-along wouldn't start.

• Chief Lew reported on a serious dog mauling on the 500 block of Larkin Street, with the victim hospitalized with very serious injuries and the dog dying on scene. The relationship between the victim and the dog's owner remains under investigation.

• The Commission voted 7-0 to enter closed session and 7-0 not to disclose what was discussed.