A crime analysis has found that the number of homicides in major cities in the United States, including San Francisco, has been decreasing after a significant increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to data from AH Datalytics, a criminal justice consulting company based in New Orleans, San Francisco reported 9 homicides in the first three months of 2024, compared to 13 during the same period in 2023, representing a decrease of nearly 31%.
San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Evan Sernoffsky told Axios that most of the homicides in the city are triggered by gun violence.
In 2023, San Francisco reported a total of 54 homicides.
Sernoffsky mentioned that the surge in homicides during the pandemic was the first real increase in shootings and homicides in the city in over a decade. Prior to that, the numbers had been declining sharply for more than ten years.
In 2022, the department launched the “Violence Reduction Initiative” in collaboration with community partners to lead prevention efforts, including implementing data-driven strategies to identify and provide resources to individuals most likely to engage in violence or become victims of violence, such as case management services.
Sernoffsky added, “We are now getting more support than ever before.”
According to AH Datalytics data, the percentage of homicides in 204 cities in the first three months of 2024 decreased by nearly 20% compared to the same period last year.
In some well-known cities like Washington D.C., New Orleans, Las Vegas, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, and Philadelphia, homicides decreased by over 30%.
However, some cities saw an increase in homicides in the first three months of 2024 compared to the previous year, including Los Angeles.
Los Angeles saw a surge of over 9% in homicides. Other cities experiencing an increase in homicides include Atlanta (15%), Portland (13%), Birmingham (42%), Honolulu (175%), and others.
The company’s analysis is based on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program, which collects data from local law enforcement agencies nationwide. Since participation in the program is voluntary, not all crimes are reported, so experts warn that this is not a complete picture.
Furthermore, FBI data from 2023 is expected to be reviewed and officially released around October of this year, while data from 2024 is projected to be reviewed and officially released around October 2025.