S.F. supervisors vote to expand late-night store ban to parts of SoMa

"The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee backed legislation proposed by District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey and District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, that would expand on an existing pilot program in the Tenderloin, which is due to expire in July. The San Francisco Police Department has hailed the program as effective against drug markets, violence and property crime. The new plan would enact an 18-month curfew on an expanded swath of Tenderloin businesses, and would extend down into parts of SoMa."

"Police Capt. James Aherne, who oversees the city's drug-enforcement response through the Drug Market Agency Coordination Center, argued in support of the proposed expansion, citing figures from a six-month analysis of the Tenderloin curfew. Police recorded a 14 percent reduction in violent crime and narcotics incidents, a 17.9 percent reduction in calls for service during the curfew and a reduction in "visible late-night street gatherings," he said."

The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee voted unanimously to endorse legislation by Supervisors Matt Dorsey and Bilal Mahmood to expand an 18-month curfew pilot from the Tenderloin into parts of SoMa. Retail food and tobacco establishments would have to close by midnight, while businesses with liquor licenses could remain open until 2 a.m.; fines for noncompliance could reach $1,000 per violation. The policy aims to improve street conditions and reduce crime by disrupting late-night retail activity linked to drug and violent incidents. Police reported notable reductions in violent and narcotics incidents and in calls for service during curfew periods, and researchers reported further decreases in drug-related incidents within nine months.

Read at Mission Local