Crime Falls On San Francisco Muni; Riders Still Fearful
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – While statistics show crime has fallen to a four-year low on San Francisco's Municipal transit vehicles, a recent survey found that only 55 percent of all riders say they feel safe.
The transit system's stats show that crimes ranging from pickpockets to assaults have fallen to 3.8 crimes per 100,000 miles traveled.
That number is a drop-off from a high point in 2013 of 12.2 crimes per 100,000 miles.
"We have been putting a lot of resources into addressing our riders concerns of safety on Muni," said SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose.
Those resources have included additional police coverage in the areas of the city where crimes have been committed. Muni also credits the crime drop to its camera systems on transit vehicles. Officials said vehicles have between 8-10 cameras on board.
"That helps us to identify suspects when incidents happen on board and get that information over to the police department as soon as possible," Rose said.
Rachel Hyden with the San Francisco Transit Riders Advocacy Group welcomed the drop in crime, but wanted to see the trend continue in the future.
"We want to see crimes going down not just this year, but year after year," she said.
"When we're measuring safety, we want to think about the most vulnerable communities," Hyden continued. "So what is safe to me might not be safe to a senior, a person with a disability, or a parent who's putting their kid on Muni for the first time alone."
