San Francisco Vows Expanded Late-Night Policing in Tenderloin

City officials pledge new initiatives to combat drug dealing and get users off the streets

Jan. 30, 2026 at 12:47am by Ben Kaplan

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San Francisco's top officials, including new Police Chief Derrick Lew, met with Tenderloin residents to announce plans for increased late-night law enforcement in the neighborhood to combat rampant drug dealing. The city also outlined new programs, such as the RESET Center, aimed at getting drug users off the streets and away from children in the area.

Why it matters

The Tenderloin has long been a challenging neighborhood for San Francisco, with persistent issues of homelessness, crime, and open-air drug use. This renewed push for late-night policing and social services reflects the city's ongoing efforts to address these entrenched problems and improve quality of life for Tenderloin residents, many of whom are immigrants and families with children.

The details

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Police Chief Derrick Lew, Fire Chief Dean Crispen, and Sheriff Paul Miyamoto met with Tenderloin residents to discuss the city's plans. Lew said the police department will shift resources to increase late-night enforcement, as drug dealing is concentrated in the early morning hours. Jenkins criticized the Superior Court for not doing enough to prosecute drug dealers, while praising the city's coordination with federal law enforcement. The officials also touted the new RESET Center, which will provide a therapeutic environment for those arrested while under the influence, rather than jail or the hospital.

  • The town hall meeting took place on Thursday evening in the basement of a Tenderloin nonprofit.

The players

Derrick Lew

The newly appointed Police Chief of San Francisco who pledged to shift resources to increase late-night law enforcement in the Tenderloin.

Brooke Jenkins

The San Francisco District Attorney who criticized the Superior Court for not doing enough to prosecute drug dealers, while praising the city's coordination with federal law enforcement.

Dean Crispen

The San Francisco Fire Chief who participated in the town hall meeting.

Paul Miyamoto

The San Francisco Sheriff who touted the RESET Center as a key initiative to get drug users off the street and away from children.

Bilal Mahmood

The San Francisco Supervisor who hosted the town hall meeting and said community members felt the most hopeful after this meeting compared to previous ones about the Tenderloin neighborhood.

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What they’re saying

“We can't be a 9-to-5 city. These operations need to happen at night, so now we have to ask how are you going to reallocate staffing to these nighttime situations that need to be addressed.”

— Derrick Lew, Police Chief (sfchronicle.com)

“My courthouse tends to view drug dealing as a low-level felony crime and more of our drug dealers get released.”

— Brooke Jenkins, District Attorney (sfchronicle.com)

“An officer on the street can take somebody into custody who is under the influence and bring them there, not to jail, not to a hospital, but to a place designed to be a therapeutic environment.”

— Paul Miyamoto, Sheriff (sfchronicle.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This renewed push for late-night policing and social services in the Tenderloin reflects San Francisco's ongoing efforts to address the neighborhood's entrenched problems of homelessness, crime, and open-air drug use, with the goal of improving quality of life for residents, many of whom are immigrants and families with children.