WATCH: When San Francisco Stopped Prosecuting Drug Users, Violent Crime Went Down

“I’m a narc. I’ve been a narcotics guy forever,” says San
Francisco police chief Greg Suhr. “But I’m just telling you, I’ve
always felt bad for the people that were addicted to drugs.”

Suhr is following in the footsteps of his predecessor, George
Gascon, who is now District Attorney in the city and who began the
process of de-emphasizing drug enforcement in the midst of cutbacks
to the police force in the wake of the 2007 recession. Since Suhr
has taken over, he’s disbanded most of the force’s narcotics unit,
and drug arrests have plummeted by 85 percent. 

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Approximately 3 minutes. Produced by Zach Weissmueller.

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