Police response times in San Francisco are still slow for minor crimes, and it may not improve any time soon

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Earlier this year, San Francisco reported that property crime had dropped significantly. The numbers say so, but some people say they have stopped reporting “minor” crimes because police take so long to respond. Many others do not report crimes because they feel it will achieve nothing.

For example, it's Monday morning and we captured what store employees tell us is a typical event at Walgreens on Market and 9th Street in San Francisco.

An employee calls 911 to report the incident while another employee yells at the woman.

INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker

The two employees now describe what happened on the phone.

She continues to put items in her bag even though she knows she is being recorded on a cell phone and the incident will be reported to 911. Then she calmly leaves the store.

When this crime occurred, the security guard was having lunch.

We wanted to talk to them, so we returned a few days later and questioned security.

Lyanne Melendez: “Have you seen this woman before?
Guard: “All the time.” Usually it's every day, every other day.
Lyanne: “What does she do when she comes in?”
Guard: “Usually they just come through the aisles, fill up and leave.”
Lyanne: “Can you do something about it?
Guard: “No, they won’t let us touch them anymore.”
Lyanne: “How long does it take for the police to respond?”
Guard: “They don’t respond.”

And shoplifters know it.

“They come in and out of the store in two or three minutes and then they're at the door and by the time the store reports it, people are long gone,” explained David Burke, SFPD public safety liaison for District 8.

Even after the store reported the incident, police admit it took too long to respond.

Here is the data on police response times when dealing with non-violent crimes like a burglary.

So far this month it has taken police nearly 30 minutes to respond. The goal is 20 minutes. The last time they achieved this goal was in the first four months of the COVID pandemic, when the lockdown was in effect.

MORE: Serial SF shoplifter accused of stealing over $40,000 worth of items speaks for first time

Police believe they may not reach that goal in the coming years due to a shortage of about 500 officers.

The truth is that SFPD has struggled to recruit new officers for years, dating back to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, when there was a nationwide call to defund the police.

Still, in August 2020, some San Francisco lawmakers called for cuts to police funding and the cancellation of the upcoming four police academies.

“I would actually suggest eliminating all four,” former San Francisco Supervisor Sandra Fewer said back in August 2020.

“This is about the system being rotten to the core,” San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen added during the August 20, 2020 meeting.

VIDEO: The I-Team reviews SFPD response times after residents raise concerns

Even the mayor initially agreed that changes needed to be made, but as property crimes escalated, London Breed took a different stance.

“We will expand recruiting strategies and work to retain officers,” Breed said in December 2021.

Even the supervisor who called for defunding the police later complained that her district had a shortage of police officers.

“I have been begging this department all year to give the mission what it deserves in police presence and have been told time and time again that there are no officers,” Ronen expressed in February 2023.

In the end, the police budget was never cut, but police say the rhetoric caused lasting damage.

MORE: Convicted serial shoplifter in SF gets parole after serving less than a year in prison

Recruiting has been challenging, even as the mayor and police chief welcomed the largest police academy class since 2018 earlier this month.

People who have been victims of or witnessed theft are tired and resigned to the fact that little is being done to prevent such theft from happening again.

We caught another man who apparently stole from a Walgreens in the Noe Valley neighborhood.

It wasn't until we started recording that the employee offered to contact the police.

“There's this psychological thing where you feel good if they don't come, or if they come in an hour, I won't bother,' but the police, we don't know.” “We don't know that this is happening if people don’t report, then we don’t know this is happening,” Burke added.

Police are also relying on new technology to help them track people through Prop E. This was approved by voters last March. The police now have license plate readers and drones at their disposal.