Almost two months ago, we reported that the Park Branch SFPD was working to cleanup Haight Street by launching an undercover drug sweep. Now, a week and a half after 4/20 and just as the summer tourist season starts to kick off, it's unclear exactly where the project stands.
Drug-related calls to the police have stayed relatively static on Haight over the past few months, but it remains unclear how many direct, undercover-driven arrests have been made by the SFPD. Responding to merchant inquiries in mid-March, Park Station Chief John Feeney said the police had already made more than 50 arrests. Still, a quick look at the street shows that open-air drug dealing on the street (and in the Panhandle, and in Golden Gate Park) is still booming. Whether or not the rampant dealing that happens on the street is an Issue is another matter entirely, but it doesn't seem to be one that's going away any time soon. Captain Feeney was unavailable to comment on the occasions we called last week.
Drug-related calls to the police have stayed relatively static on Haight over the past few months, but it remains unclear how many direct, undercover-driven arrests have been made by the SFPD. Responding to merchant inquiries in mid-March, Park Station Chief John Feeney said the police had already made more than 50 arrests. Still, a quick look at the street shows that open-air drug dealing on the street (and in the Panhandle, and in Golden Gate Park) is still booming. Whether or not the rampant dealing that happens on the street is an Issue is another matter entirely, but it doesn't seem to be one that's going away any time soon. Captain Feeney was unavailable to comment on the occasions we called last week.
