Is San Francisco Safe?

Is San Francisco safe? If you’re planning an adventure to the city, you can’t help but wonder, especially if you are a private group. Perhaps you’re from Europe, Australia, Asia, or Antarctica. What is America really like? How are the cities? Will you be safe here?

Let’s face it; you can be hit by a car or mugged in a town with a population of 12. But the more people you toss into the mix, the more chances for some of them to not have your best interest at heart. You might hear about gun violence or other types of crimes in America, but what does that have to do with you and your corporate retreat when you visit, and should you be worried?

If you are moving to San Francisco, you might ask the same questions. How is the city set up? What are the unsafe neighborhoods? Most of you have heard about the homeless population, and perhaps about the petty theft and car-window break-ins, and you want to know what else to expect.

San Francisco Safety Compared to Other Major American Cities

Our private guides are experienced enough to have operated tours all over the United States. We know major cities such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas and Memphis, and how they compare to one another. We’ve also seen our fair share of calamity. We’ve visited the dangerous parts of the cities with and without tour groups. How does San Francisco stack up compared to these other metropolises?

In our opinion, San Francisco is a strange contrast. On one hand, when you arrive in the city and begin to walk around, especially in neighborhoods such as The Tenderloin, right away the city feels extremely dangerous. You’ll see tents on the streets, homeless people might appear unstable, and you might even see open drug use. To almost everyone (even locals and the homeless themselves), this is appalling and an extremely sad story. But San Francisco as a whole, statistically, is actually much safer than other cities.

Why? Although sometimes seeming unsafe, San Francisco (we’re only talking about the peninsula here, not Oakland or East Bay), is quite stable. Although you see homeless folks, and although it feels unsafe, compared to other major cities visitors are mostly left alone, besides experiencing panhandling here and there. You can walk or ride your bike almost anywhere in the city, and as long as you are respectful and smart with your mannerisms, you should be fine. In other major American cities, when you are in the wrong neighborhood, you may be in trouble.

Please don’t misunderstand. We are not saying you can freely walk in any San Francisco neighborhood at 3 a.m. and nothing bad will happen. This is a major city, and when almost a million people are in one spot, crime happens. What we are emphasizing is that San Francisco, compared to other major American cities, is one of the safer ones, despite your initial impression when wandering through downtown for the first time.

It takes some getting used to, we know. In not every city do you see the homeless people in your face as apparent as it is here, and one hotel booking in the wrong location can mean a potentially uncomfortable or horrific experience for your group. On the whole, however, San Francisco is safe.

Crime That Does Happen

San Francisco is a city of tourism. Many travelers from around the world come to visit year after year. Fisherman’s Wharf, our famous hills, and the Golden Gate Bridge keep the travelers coming. And California, with its other incredible sites such as Yosemite National Park and Napa Valley, is as big a draw.

What crime does occur? Usually it’s in the form of petty theft (which happens when tourists are distracted by amazing sights). That can mean you are at a coffee shop chatting with your friend and not paying attention, and someone walks off with your backpack. Or you park your car in a famous tourism spot such as Alamo Square, and while you are away snapping your iconic photos, someone smashes your car window and grabs your bag. Think about what you carry when you travel. One broken window can result in a laptop, GoPro, passport, or envelope of money for a thief. Why make it easy for a dishonest person?

The car window problem actually happens a lot. In 2018, there were 30,000 reported car break-ins in San Francisco alone, with backpacks, suitcases, and even cell phone chargers and medical equipment stolen. When you crunch the numbers, that’s a broken window every 23 minutes! Astonishing and embarrassing, it happens, and most locals can tell you a story or two from their own experiences.

Very rarely does a thief ask for your wallet by sticking a revolver in your ribs. More often than not, the crime is done behind your back when you are not looking.

Why Don’t the Police Do Anything?

It’s not that they are not doing anything. We respect the devotion and dedication of our police force; they do work hard. We honor them and everything they do to keep our city safe. Imagine their workload.

Instead of blaming law enforcement, we should be looking at the cause of the problems and how to solve them from, including every player involved — the police officer, the neighborhood resident, the tourist, the thief, the local politician(s). Who is to blame? How can we unite to stop this petty theft? And why does it happen in California more than in other American states?

Whatever the solution, San Francisco officials and our residents have yet to figure it out. And, unfortunately, until that point comes, it will be at the expense of the travelers like you.

The next time you walk around a famous landmark, glance at the sidewalk next to cars for the astonishing amount of glass on the ground. We are embarrassed as residents. Like every city in the world, we have our flaws.

More to San Francisco than Broken Windows

This is not an article about windows, nor is it meant to scare you. We only want to educate you, honestly and openly, about how our city operates and what you, as a tourist, whether you are here on a corporate retreat or by yourself, can expect when you visit.

Is San Francisco a safe American city? Yes. Although different from other cities in many ways — from culture to laid-back attitude to other sadder things, such as the homeless population — the city does have its problems, like any major city.

Instead of worrying about crime or safety or anything else, such as where to reserve your hotel, at what time of year and why, contact our private hosts who want to show you our city correctly and safely. Otherwise, enjoy the sights and sounds of our unique city, and we know our positives, such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Bay, outweigh our negatives.