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Beefed Up Police Presence Puts Dent In San Francisco Mission District Crime

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - Crime has dropped in San Francisco's Mission District according to the police department, with the drop attributed to the recent increase in the number of officers patrolling the area.

The move to add officers came in response to three homicides in late August and early September. Reports of robberies are down, and there were no homicides in a recent 10-day stretch.

"Our violence reduction team, our tactical SWAT team have been out and saturating the neighborhood," summed up San Francisco Police Department Lt. Mark Cota.

KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:

Despite a substantial drop in robberies - down 20% recently - Cota said it's no reason for people to let their guard down.

"The onset of the cell phones, people using cell phones and not paying attention to their surroundings, kind of emboldens some of our criminals who would not necessarily be a robber."

At least six suspects have been taken into custody in connection with a recent Mission neighborhood robbery spree. Authorities say the suspects, who allegedly drove up to the victims and robbed them at knife or gun point, may have gang connections.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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