The Facts

Car break-ins are at record lows. We're down to just 10 per day across the whole city, down almost 90% from the peak in 2017. That's about 1,800 break-ins through June, compared to 30,000 in 2017 according to SFPD data.

“I feel like it’s a wrap,” [SF rapper] Berner said, citing the cops’ increasing use of drones and cameras. “Everything’s being recorded and documented. If you’re doing crime these days, I don’t know, man. It’s kind of crazy.”

The Context

While car break-ins also fell elsewhere, San Francisco still substantially outperformed that baseline. California Department of Justice data show theft from vehicles dropped 37% statewide from 2022 to 2025, compared with 78% in San Francisco.

Our analysis of monthly SFPD data found the sharp decline in September 2023 aligned with when Mayor London Breed, Police Chief Bill Scott, and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins launched a targeted enforcement operation against organized crews and stolen-goods networks.

The GrowSF Take

Car break-ins collapsing is a huge win.

The statewide and national decline explains only part of San Francisco's improvement. The city's much larger drop, and its abrupt timing in September 2023, strongly suggest that disrupting repeat offenders and the market for stolen goods made a major local difference. Breed, Chief Scott, and DA Jenkins deserve credit for focusing limited police resources where they mattered.

Voters were also right to approve Proposition E. While good policework is an important part of San Francisco's success, cameras and drones help police identify suspects, build cases, and provide meaningful ongoing deterrence.