The Mayor, Sheriff, and Chief of Police thought it was worthy of a press conference that SFPD did a “saturation” bust at 16th and Mission Wednesday night, yet this operation resulted in just four arrests and the seizure of one measly ounce of drugs.

It’s the kind of headline and social media engagement that Mayor Daniel Lurie wants to see in pushing his “things are gonna change around here” narrative, and that SFPD Chief Bill Scott may need if his job is really in jeopardy. “SF police swarm 16th and Mission, vow to shut down drug market and end ‘disorder and chaos,’” the Chronicle headline declared, describing a Wednesday night drug bust at that corner’s BART plaza. SFPD posted a tweet declaring “SATURATION ENFORCEMENT 16th and Mission,” and added, “We’re committed to ensuring our streets are SAFE and CLEAN.”

But the results of this raid were frankly quite underwhelming. As noted in the tweet above, this operation netted just four arrests, a fraction of the number that some of these operations produce. And as Mission Local points out, that “28.5 grams of narcotics” they mention is the equivalent of just one ounce, a microscopic haul compared to far more prolific busts that are not uncommon in this town.

Yet Lurie, Chief Scott, and SF Sheriff Paul Miyamoto felt this tiny drug bust merited a Thursday morning press conference to trumpet these results. And the Chronicle notes that at this press conference, the small-potatoes results were defended when “Scott said he suspected that dealers had fled as police arrived.”

Yeah, no shit! I’m not a cop, but maybe rolling up in plainly marked police cars with sirens activated is not the best way to catch drug dealers?

The Chronicle adds that “Public Works inspectors also issued 10 verbal warnings and removed a bag of produce that someone had abandoned.” Wow, verbal warnings and a bag of produce removed, do you feel safer now? Lurie seems to think you should.

“We are sending a message that whether you’re on Sixth Street dealing drugs, using, or if you’re on 16th and Mission, we are going to be relentless in our focus on cleaning these areas up,” Lurie said at the press conference. “The residents, our families, our taxpayers and, most importantly, our children getting on Muni each morning or coming back in the afternoon deserve clean and safe spaces to walk.”

This operation has the look of having been well-planned, with videographers on scene ready to film, and a press conference scheduled first thing next morning. But the results just did not pan out.

Team Lurie and company were probably hoping for something more like last week’s Jefferson Park raid, which netted a reported 86 arrests. (Though now a week later, the SF Standard reported this morning that only three of those were drug arrests, and of those, only two suspects were jailed.)

At the long-troubled 16th Street and 24th Street BART plaza areas, we have seen an effective, though maybe not sustainable strategy. You put a police cruiser and an officer or two at that corner, the corner stays clean all day.

Once that cop car leaves at night, mayhem and blight break loose everywhere. But if you want to clean up those two plazas, the presence of a police vehicle and an officer are proven to do the job.

According to Mission Local, “Lurie ended the conference by pleading for a fully staffed police and sheriff’s department.” Well Lurie, we would remind you who is Mayor of San Francisco, and whose responsibility that staffing might be.

Related: Cops Bust Mission District Van Packed With Cocaine, Magic Mushrooms, $600,000 in Cash [SFist]

Image: @SFPD via Twitter