San Francisco’s approach to crime statistics came under renewed scrutiny after a Beyond Chron article argued the city omits widespread sidewalk drug use and open-air dealing from its official data. The report, published on 25 August by editor Randy Shaw, said hundreds of daily drug-related incidents in the Tenderloin, Mid-Market and Sixth Street corridors go uncounted, masking the scale of the problem and limiting police deployment. Residents and community advocates amplified the criticism online, posting early-morning images of trash-strewn Sixth Street and urging newly-elected Mayor Daniel Lurie to walk the district and add drug offences to the San Francisco Police Department’s CompStat system. They contend that accurate tallies would create pressure for targeted enforcement, similar to the city’s earlier response to surging car break-ins during the pandemic. Shaw called on the mayor, police commission and district attorney to begin tracking 311 calls and other reports of sidewalk drug activity, arguing that the lack of data allows open-air markets to persist. City Hall has not yet responded publicly to the proposal.