SF Trying to Shake Its High Crime Reputation
'Burglary and larceny theft fell by 9.9 and 35 percent, respectively'

How San Francisco Is Lowering Crime Rates
San Francisco has boomed in many ways over the past two decades, but while the city has become a hub for tech talent and entrepreneurship, it has also gained a negative reputation for a high crime rate.

That is, until the past year, when the city saw a staggering drop in reported crime, which is continuing in 2025.

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) reported that in 2024, homicides in the city fell by 31.4 percent, rapes fell by 2 percent and robbery fell by 21.8, compared to 2023.

Additionally, assaults fell by 6.3 percent, burglary and larceny theft fell by 9.9 and 35 percent, respectively, and arson fell by 20.6 percent in the same time period.

The start of 2025 also appears to be promising in terms of falling crime. SFPD data shows that homicides between January 1 and April 14, compared to the same time period in 2024, fell by 55.6 percent.

That comparative time period also saw rapes fall by 34.2 percent, robberies by 21.2 percent, assaults by 7.3, burglaries by 42.1 percent, larceny-theft by 30.4 and arson by 29.7 percent.

The statistics cover a smaller period of time, meaning the percentage difference may appear larger than the numerical difference between crimes.

Mayor Jenkins explained that improving the partnerships between the DA's office and law enforcement has allowed them to improve court accountability, as she had seen a pattern of people being accused of crimes but not being held accountable. newsweek.com


"Combatting Cargo Theft: Stakeholder Perspectives”
Roundtable: Combatting Cargo Theft: Stakeholder Perspectives

On April 29th, the House Transportation & Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials held a roundtable “Combatting Cargo Theft: Stakeholder Perspectives.”

Bob Costello, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for International Trade and Security, American Trucking Association, cited a 1500% increase in cargo theft since 2021, and subcommittee chairman Daniel Webster (R-FL) cited that railroads saw a 40% increase in cargo theft last year resulting in a $35 billion cost to the economy and supply chains. As other forms of crime are seeing decreasing rates, retail crime has seen a 24% increase in 2024 with increased levels of sophistication.

Witnesses highlighted on the ground deterrence measures including physical barriers, increased police presence, and investment in technology such as telematics to harden cargo security. The group also discussed the importance of increasing the cost of cargo theft for potential criminals through aggregated prosecutions.

In cases of theft, goods are most likely to be retrieved if the police are notified within 30 minutes of their removal. However, Reinke emphasized that many carriers do not have the capabilities to recognize removals within these frames. For both preventive measures and increased response rates to theft, she highlighted technological measures including door sensors and RFID technology to track container inventory and movements.

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) mentioned legislative efforts to increase the usage of telematics on rail, allowing suppliers to track the health of railways and have real time information about their goods. While insurance providers encourage clients to utilize telematics to prevent theft, Cornell warned that they are not a perfect solution as thieves regularly suppress tracking efforts including by painting over camera devices and removing sensors.

Storm criticized railroads for not doing more to protect workers and goods from cargo theft, stating that increased train lengths and decreased rail staffing have increased vulnerabilities.    enotrans.org


More Crime Closures Hit Minneapolis
Minneapolis-St. Paul restaurant shutting down over crime, owner blames officials for ‘out of control’ violence
A Minneapolis-St. Paul restaurant owner, is closing his doors, saying crime and a lack of accountability from city officials have made it impossible to keep operating safely.

Brian Ingram, who owns several restaurants, including the Apostle Supper Club in St. Paul, Minnesota, said he’s shutting down the business over crime in the area. Now, he wants to send a message to local leaders.

“Crime has just kind of spiraled out of control,” Ingram said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Friday. “It is maddening that our city officials are not standing on every corner going, ‘We’re done.’”

Ingram blames the breakdown in public safety on what he describes as a failure by local prosecutors, judges, and attorneys to hold offenders accountable.

“As our DA and as our city attorneys and judges decided that we were no longer going to prosecute criminals, that we’re just going to let them back out, it just kind of keeps exploding,” he said.

He pointed to repeated break-ins and ongoing safety concerns for staff and customers as reasons for closing. nypost.com


Crime Data Pitfalls
The Great Illinois Violent Crime Disappearance

Discovering the why behind a big drop in Illinois reported violent crime.

One of the challenges to working with the Crime Data Explorer is that it doesn’t tell you when data is missing. So Chicago only reporting 6 months of data in 2021 due to the NIBRS transition is not evident in the CDE’s Data Discovery Tool. CDE does provide an ability to look up monthly data and the lack of data between January and June 2021 in Chicago is evident there.

That’s a big drop in 2021 followed by a sizable increase in 2022 and 2023 albeit at substantially lower levels than before the drop. But us violent crime in Illinois really well below 2020 levels now?

Well, no. This mystery, unfortunately, has a relatively easy answer that can be summed up as: Chicago.

This is a good example of the living nature of crime data. There are enough mistakes and enough uncertainty that it is never complete, even when it's complete. And, finally, it's a good lesson in looking for data reporting issues whenever you find a reported count that seems too good (or bad) to be true. jasher.substack.com


Trump Team Set to Dissolve Reagan-Era Transnational Crime Unit
The Trump administration is “decommissioning” a DOJ unit that has long been at the center of dismantling transnational organized crime networks, drug cartels and human trafficking rings.

Survey shows 99% of retailers hit by crime - why are so many going unreported?

Trump DOJ Erases Trans People from Crime Data Surveys
 

64K Retail Job Cuts
Retail job cuts up nearly 80% in April

Retail announced over 64,000 job cuts so far this year, the second most of any industry, according to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

U.S. retailers eliminated over 64,000 jobs during the first four months of 2025, the second most of any industry, according to a new report released Thursday by consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The four-month total represented a 296% increase from the year-ago period.

A total of 7,235 retail jobs were lost in April, up 77% from April 2024, according to the report.

Close to 603,000 jobs were lost across all industries in the first four months of this year, the most since 2020 when just over 1 million job cuts were recorded. Almost half of the cuts this year were attributed to job eliminations by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, per the report.

Several factors contributed to the uncertainty surrounding job security, including government-induced layoffs and widespread changes in tariff policies that have affected various industries, including retail. retaildive.com


80 Companies Send Tariff Warning to Trump
Nike, Under Armour among shoe brands urging tariff exemptions

About 80 companies signed a letter from the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America to President Trump, warning that “inventory for U.S. consumers may soon run low.”

The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America last week sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging the White House to consider tariff exemptions for footwear; 76 companies representing more than 80 brands co-signed.

Shoe imports are already heavily levied, with rates on children’s shoes of 20% or higher, and many U.S. footwear brands could pay import duties ranging from 150% to nearly 220% with the new duties in place, the group said.

With many orders on hold, “footwear inventory for U.S. consumers may soon run low,” the group also said, warning that could bring hundreds of businesses to the brink of closure, with implications for tens of thousands of jobs.

The footwear industry isn’t alone in sounding this alarm. S&P Global Ratings analysts last week warned that these companies are “particularly exposed,” even after diversifying their sourcing. retaildive.com


How Walmart Will Manage Tariff Impacts
Walmart makes drastic decision amid tariff threats
A retail giant like Walmart is probably in a better position to adjust to tariff policies than are smaller competitors. The big box giant has plenty of negotiating power and can leverage its size to minimize the impact.

During the company's most recent earnings call in February, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon had a reassuring message for investors who expressed concerns over incoming tariffs.

"Tariffs are something we've managed for many years, and we'll just continue to manage that," he said. "We can't predict what will happen in the future, but we can manage it really well."

Walmart is already taking steps to minimize the impact of tariffs by turning to suppliers overseas and initiating price negotiation talks.

The fact that Walmart sources products from a number of foreign trade partners also helps. Because the company's imports aren't limited to a single foreign country, Walmart can pivot as needed to adjust for tariff-related increases. thestreet.com


Another Rite Aid Bankruptcy
Rite Aid files for bankruptcy 8 months after exiting Chapter 11

The drugstore retailer said Monday it plans to sell itself and already has some interested national and regional buyers.

Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy on Monday, with plans to sell itself, and has already had “meaningful interest” from potential national and regional strategic buyers. Stores will remain open and operating.

The drugstore retailer has secured commitments from some existing lenders to access $1.94 billion in new financing. That plus cash from operations is expected to be sufficient funding during the sale and court-supervised Chapter 11 process.

The company just exited a previous bankruptcy in September, after filing less than two years ago, emerging as a private business with about $2 billion less debt plus some $2.5 billion in exit financing. retaildive.com


Struggling cosmetics brand sounds alarm, laying off thousands

VF lays off about 400 employees

Fiserv: April small business sales increase over 2024