During portions of an interview aired on Tuesday’s broadcast of ABC’s “Nightline,” San Francisco Police Chief William Scott stated that while the drug addiction level is worse than anything he’s ever seen, the area where the problem is worse is “not even a one-square-mile area.”
During his report, ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman said, “Officials say that many who they’ve arrested for using and selling drugs aren’t from San Francisco, but that leads to the question, why are so many going there?”
Gutman then played a clip where he asked Scott, “Is San Francisco more permissive than other cities?”
Scott responded, “We at SFPD really are putting more focus on the street conditions, the open-air use in the street. We have to stop that behavior.”
In another part of the report, Gutman stated, “But law enforcement also says the problem isn’t as widespread as it might seem.”
He then played a clip of Scott saying, “San Francisco is a beautiful place. It’s 49 square miles. And we’re talking about a very, very concentrated area where this is the most pervasive in our city. About a — not even a one-square-mile area.”
In another part of the segment, Scott said, “The addiction level, particularly because we’re dealing with fentanyl right now, is unlike anything that I’ve ever seen in my law enforcement career.”
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