What Happened in San Francisco on Tuesday, January 20th, 2026
Yesterday in San Francisco, police responded to 179 incidents, up 27% from 141 the day before. 13 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 41 arrests.
The most common incident type was Theft & Larceny, accounting for 44 of 179 reports (25% of total). The most active neighborhood was Tenderloin with 29 incidents.
Overall activity was 12% above the 30-day average of 159 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, San Francisco reported incidents across 8 categories. Theft & Larceny led with 44 incidents (25% of total), followed by Administrative with 43 and Drugs & Alcohol with 20.
Vandalism & Destruction — up 37% over the past 7 days (89 incidents this week vs 65 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's in “Administrative”?
Overview
Violent Crime
13 violent crimes were reported in San Francisco yesterday, accounting for 7% of all incidents. This is down 35% from the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | Simple Assault | Inner Richmond | N/A |
| 01:18 | Robbery - Street | North Beach | N/A |
| 06:22 | Simple Assault | Sunset/Parkside | N/A |
| 06:40 | Arson | Bayview Hunters Point | N/A |
| 08:00 | Simple Assault | West of Twin Peaks | N/A |
| View All | |||
Arrests
San Francisco police made 41 arrests yesterday. 1 arrest was related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 23% of all incidents. Of the 41 arrests, 19 were Drugs & Alcohol, 12 were Administrative, and 3 were Domestic & Family. This is up 24% from the 33 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | Burglary - Residential | Burglary | County |
| 00:24 | Other | Domestic & Family | South of Market |
| 00:28 | Other | Administrative | Financial District/South Beach |
| 00:31 | Drug Violation | Drugs & Alcohol | Tenderloin |
| 04:27 | Drug Violation | Drugs & Alcohol | Tenderloin |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 35 neighborhoods in San Francisco. Tenderloin had the highest activity with 29 incidents, followed by Mission with 15 and Bayview Hunters Point with 12.
1 specific location has appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including Unknown (7 of 7 days).
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in San Francisco Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in San Francisco yesterday peaked between 12 AM – 1 AM with 18 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 2am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 33 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 45, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 63, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 38. Afternoon was the busiest period overall.
Tuesdays in San Francisco typically average 167 incidents. Yesterday's total of 179 is 12 incidents above that 8-week average (7% higher).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 163.0 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 159.3 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
This Week Is Pacing Higher Than Last
Through Tuesday (2 days), this week has recorded 320 incidents — 14% more than the 282 reported at the same point last week. If the pace holds, the week could finish well above last week’s total.
Vandalism & Destruction Up 37% This Week
Vandalism & Destruction incidents have risen sharply: 89 in the past 7 days compared to 65 the prior 7 days — a 37% increase. Today alone saw 15 vandalism & destruction incidents.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 179 incidents reported to the sfgov.org on Tuesday, January 20th, 2026. Published Wednesday, January 21st, 2026.
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