San Francisco plans huge increase in cop presence downtown to try and lure tourists back to crime-plagued area...three years after cutting law enforcement budget by $120M

San Francisco plans to ramp up their police presence this holiday season to crack down on shoplifters - despite defunding the police just two years ago amidst BLM protests.

Union Square - the main shopping area in San Francisco - will see an increase in police officers patrolling the area surrounding Powell and Market streets just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Officials say the increased police presence will deter criminals and make the area safer for stores and shoppers. 

The call for escalated police presence is in tandem with the city's efforts to discourage retail crime, control theft and encourage visitors to return to downtown San Fran after the crime-ridden city gained a reputation for drugs, homelessness and lawlessness.

The new expanded patrol measures come just a few years after the liberal city - led by Democrat Mayor London Breed - confidently called to defund the police during the Black Lives Matter movement.

In February 2021, Breed announced plans to redirect $120 million from the police department to a combination of new and existing programs.

In Union Sqaure, San Francisco police will increase the number of uniformed officers on the streets at all hours and has heightened its undercover officer scope.

Holiday shoppers should also prepare to face limited parking and increased patrols in parking garages - which the city hopes will further prevent criminal activity.

Distric Attorney Brooke Jenkins blasted the perception the city has and insisted the increased police presence in Union Square would help deter criminals. 

'Some news outlets have continued to push a narrative that we do not enforce our laws here in San Francisco and in the state of California. But I am here today to remind everyone that those days are over here in San Francisco,' she said. 'We will prosecute those who commit crime in this city, and that includes organized retail theft.' 

The increased police presence in Union Square is part of San Fran's Safe Shopper Initiative - which was announced by Breed in 2021 after a wave of looting swept over the city which primarily targeted luxury stores in Union Square.

Union Square's Louis Vuitton store was a victim of many smash-and-grab robberies which ultimately forced the shop to board up its windows. 

Police Chief Bill Scott said the department quadrupled their officers patrolling the commercial corridor last year - and that the number this year will be even higher. 

Mayor Breed announced a $17 million grant to help with their police-expansion efforts and movement to combat retail theft ahead of the holiday shopping season. 

Breed said that the funding would go toward paying officers overtime for the chaotic time period as they ran targeted retail theft operations. 

Money is also set to go towards the San Francisco District Attorney's Office to fund a prosecutor and investigator dedicated to retail theft cases.

The crime-ridden downtown area of San Francisco has seen the closure of many shops and restaurants since its drastic downfall.

In October, it was reported that seven Starbucks stores were planning to close as the city continues to deal with crime, drug use, and a homelessness epidemic.

At the end of August video was released showing San Francisco's newly shut-down flagship Nordstrom store that was almost barren after nearly three decades in business.

A slew of the city's restaurateurs cited crime, drugs, and waning tourism as the main culprits killing their businesses, all set on Valencia Street.

The thoroughfare, about a mile from the city's embattled Downtown, is considered one of the most sought-after strips of restaurant real estate in The Bay Area.

But for residents of San Francisco's Mission District, the reality is far different. The area - much like the nearby 'Doom Loop' of Union Square, City Hall, and Tenderloin and Mid Market districts - has been a hive of unsavory, post-pandemic activity.

The city's Ikea was nearly empty earlier this month as customers say persistent construction, lack of parking and constant crime on the surrounding streets keep them from shopping at the store.