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San Francisco saw 170 sexual-assault exams in six months; just one case faces a sex-crime prosecution
People underwent 170 forensic exams after reporting sexual assaults in San Francisco from January through June 2026. By October, police had made 11 arrests connected to the cases, but only one suspect was being prosecuted for a sex crime.
San Francisco recorded 170 forensic sexual-assault exams in the first half of 2026, but by October only one suspect linked to those cases was being prosecuted for a sex crime, according to figures from the San Francisco Police Department and the district attorney’s office.
The exams were conducted at San Francisco General Hospital, where people reporting sexual assault were seen by specialized forensic nurses who collected evidence, including DNA. The hospital saw as many as four patients for rape-kit exams on some days, with visits occurring almost daily from January through June.
SFPD had made 11 arrests based on the alleged assaults by October. Two suspects were facing prosecution, but only one was charged with a sex crime: attempted forcible rape. The other suspect faced weapons and drug charges.
The gap between the number of exams and the limited number of sex-crime prosecutions raises questions about how effectively evidence collected for survivors is being used in investigations. Investigators can take months to open a case, even when a forensic exam has already been completed.