New Tenderloin Police Station Captain Matt Sullivan said at a community meeting Tuesday evening that four San Francisco police officers will begin patrolling on foot next month in a new strategy to address street conditions in the neighborhood.
Sullivan said the officers will hit the pavement during the day and early evening in mid-September, and will connect with residents and business owners, break up groups of loiterers and address complaints.
“The main goal for them is to improve street conditions, so they’re going back to basics,” Sullivan said, to applause from the 25 or so residents attending the meeting at the Tenderloin Station on Eddy Street.
Sullivan, who took over the Tenderloin police station last month, said the plan comes in response to the feedback he has heard from community members.
“The request was for officers to be more visible, to be seen, to be known,” Sullivan said in an interview after the meeting. “The community thought that would be beneficial going forward, so we listened.”
For now, the patrols’ focus will be on three-block stretches on Hyde Street and Leavenworth Street between Golden Gate Avenue and Ellis Street, as well as the area of Jones and Market streets.
The idea of foot patrols appeared very popular at Tuesday’s meeting.
“Bringing foot beats to the Tenderloin was one of our main needs,” said Stone Selseth, who is on the safety committee of the Central City SRO Collaborative and lives in one of the target areas at Market and Jones. “So we’re going to have some good news to tell our cohorts.”
Naomi Cohen, a tenant organizer who said she has lived in the Tenderloin for about 10 years, was disappointed that her block of O’Farrell would not be part of the foot beat. Still, she called it “a wonderful idea.” She said she has rarely, if ever, seen police officers walking the neighborhood on foot.
Multiple residents at the meeting said they were grateful for the changes they had already begun seeing since Sullivan took over a month ago. Last month, he told residents of another effort in the neighborhood to block off different streets to vehicles for a few days at a time.
That strategy, led by the multi-agency Drug Market Agency Coordination Center, is intended to eliminate cover for crime and unwanted activity that might be obscured by parked cars.
Aaron Thomas, a Tenderloin resident, said that in the last month he has noticed officers exiting their cars to do police work. A block near his home that has long been home to open-air drug activity and noise has become less of a problem.
“We’re seeing a lot less crime on that particular block,” Thomas said. “I got some sleep this month.”
Thomas called foot patrols the “missing piece,” after a year and a half of watching police officers remain in their vehicles and ineffectively scold people through loudspeakers.
Seeing an officer on foot, he said, will be different. “It makes you recognize, ‘I can’t do this illegal thing here, at least as openly as I was doing.’”
The new police presence could lead to arrests, but Sullivan said the main goal was to improve street conditions through high visibility.
“I want our foot beats to know the pulse of the community,” Sullivan said.
This should have been happening all along, especially at night. But kudos to the new captain for making an effort to change things.
In other words, get ready for conditions around 16th & Mission to deteriorate still further as the drug users and dealers from the loin move south.
Jackie Fielder’s Mission nonprofit puppet masters are all for this, so she will be too.
“after a year and a half of watching police officers remain in their vehicles and ineffectively scold people through loudspeakers.”
More like 2.5 DECADES of that, but it’s Freshman Fielder’s problem? Exclusively? It’s always amazing to see how the other half thinks.
Fielder is hardly as you describe. But indeed foot patrols have long been demanded by progressives as an alternative to military-like occupations of neighborhoods via police cruisers, SUVs, surveillance cameras, and now drones.
A simple and cheap solution that works. What’s your beef?
Weird that you don’t blame Mayor Lurie. He is calling the shots and directing (and/or gutting) all funding.
I walk and bike through the Tenderloin multiple times per day. There are certainly spots that are difficult to navigate, but usually I can get around or fully avoid the problem. One problem I can’t escape is the absurdly loud music. If it affects me as someone passing through, it must be hell for the people who live directly above the sound.
Two places stand out: the southeast corner of Turk and Leavenworth. Often there is a “phone provider” there with a table and canopy. I suppose it could be a legitimate service, but the music is so loud the necessary conversation for that service is probably impossible.
The other spot is on Leavenworth near Eddy. Several people set up their outdoor lounge and marijuana dispensary on the sidewalk, switching sides depending on the sun. A couple of chairs, a giant jar of marijuana, and music you can hear a block away. I personally don’t care about “illicit” pot sales and their effect on legal dealers and taxes, but a large swath of elected officials and law enforcement cares deeply. I’m sure the businesses and residents who hear the music all day have a range of opinions on the drug trade. Maybe they like the music, but I doubt they like it so loud that they can’t have a conversation, read a book, or take a nap.
Given how much discussion there has been about street conditions in the neighborhood and the stress it causes, one might have expected an attempt to enforce the noise ordinance.
Hope the feet on the beat make a difference in day to day quality of life for my old coworkers near Cedar Alley. It’s rough working out of the ‘Loin.
Good. I’m glad to see San Francisco coming to its senses and admitting that crime is bad. Finally.
It’s not tho. It’s just more visible because of smartphones. It’s actually at historic lows. Also enforcement different reduce crime. Improvement in equality and quality of life for the poorest does that.
That is a blatant untruth. I live in this neighborhood. You very obviously do not.
Thanks for reporting .
Would like to know why only those locations were choosen ?
How many 311 calls and police calls have been reported for those blocks ?
For over 8 years , Lower Polk from Bush down to Eddy , East to Larkin and west to Van ness have been a major drug den.
Everyblock
Cedar at Polk
Geary at Polk,
Myrtle at Polk
Alice b Toklas at Polk
Ellis at Polk
Willow at Polk
Eddy at Polk have been 24/7 drug parties .
20 percent of all drug deaths happen every year on Lower Polk .
There are over 10, 000 311 and police calls for just Myrtle between Polk and Larkin
There are over 10,000 calls to 311 and police for Alice b Toklas .
Yet these two blocks are never addressed ?
Really incredible that the city still cannot address even these two blocks which have been out of control for longer then any other areas reported in news and have received help.
Seniors and disabled at 950 Polk cannot use sidewalks . They must use bike lanes with their walkers .
Childrens park at Myrtle and Larkinsurronded by drug dens ?
How about reporting on these blocks , getting the data , visiting , and helping residents on these blocks ?
I think the police and city by not addressing these blocks are admitting they dont care or cannot get control.
Time to close these blocks down.
Really unacceptable .
Around shelter and Monarch drug activity 24/7.
Why are addicts sheltered at Monarch using drugs on Myrtle ?
This area is destroyed by illegal activity
The only buisiness here is the drug dealing and sells .
It is cruel and sick .
Now more will show up since they will be pushed from the sites you reported .
Call in the troops .
Tired of waiting and the bs from city hall,
Hell on our doorstep 24/7.
Came to say (mostly) the same thing, about lower Polk, mostly Polk & Cedar/Geary. I work in the area and part of my job duties is to clear that area of unhoused folks openly using, or hanging out in groups (making a mess, usually).
It would *really* be helpful if there were a police presence occasionally walking through, as I feel this might (finally) encourage them to find somewhere else to use, etc.
I volunteered in the TL a few weeks ago. I threw away the shoes that I was wearing. The smells in the TL are horrible.
Bravo Captain Sullivan !!
This should be City-wide and run out of Police Kobans.
Only an elected Police Chief could do this department wide.
Wonder how much it would cost to get that on the ballot ?
go Niners !!
h.