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By Brent Begin
San Francisco Examiner
A joint effort between police, prosecutors and the Mayor’s Office has yielded results in one of The City’s most overlooked crime issues: smash-and-grab car burglaries.
Also known as “boosts,” car burglaries are a significant problem in San Francisco: In 2006, there were more than 15,000 incidents — an average of 41 per day — prompting the Mayor’s Office to convene a special car-boosting task force to combat the growing problem.
Taking a proactive route, the police conducted surveillance in addition to responding to calls from car owners. On Sept. 9, eight officers specifically targeted the most vulnerable areas in The City and conducted stings.
It’s a new approach to an old problem, said police Lt. Dave Lazar, who coordinates the police surveillance. Lazar said the department has tried many tactics over the years, and focusing on these burglaries seems to be paying off.
The team has arrested 34 people, according to department spokesman Sgt. Steve Mannina, which has contributed to a 22 percent drop in incidents reported between October of this year and October 2006.
“By arresting one person, we prevent at least 10 to 20 [break-ins] per week,” Lazar said. “One person doesn’t break into just one car. They move on and target more.”
The district attorney also committed resources, with an assistant district attorney dedicated to car thefts. Spokeswoman Bilen Mesfin said it’s part of a renewed emphasis on quality-of-life crimes and that prosecutors plan to get repeat and professional car burglars off the streets.
Prosecutors and police said one of the interesting aspects of car thefts is that there are a small number of offenders committing the crimes — and most are repeat offenders.
On Monday, one repeat offenders went in front of a San Francisco Superior Court judge. Joshua Carroll, who has two felony car burglary convictions already, was arraigned on two counts of auto burglary and possession of stolen property.
Police said they saw him smash the window of a four-door Lexus sedan Wednesday and pull out one of the most common targets of auto boosters — a GPS navigation system.
The ability to use police testimony is a major part of convicting auto burglars, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors had their hands tied before because defendants would claim they just found whatever stolen goods they were carrying on the street.
Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for the Mayor’s Office, said Mayor Gavin Newsom is looking forward to coordinating more efforts like these.
Bad places to park
October 2006: 1,373 auto thefts reported
October 2007: 1,068 auto thefts reported
Streets the San Francisco Police Department is targeting for car break-in busts:
» Folsom Street
» Mission Street
» Tenth and Ninth streets
» Lombard Street
» Bush Street
» Golden Gate Avenue
» Franklin Street
» Post Street
» Geary Street and Boulevard
» Laguna Street
» Market Street
» Page Street
» Masonic Avenue
» Areas around the War Memorial Opera House and downtown theaters were also targeted.
Source: SFPD, Mayor’s Office
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November 28th, 2007 at 8:08 am
since cops often lie, instead of surveilling peace activists; why don’t undercover police (with concealed cameras) create video footage of the smash and grab crimes as they occur to avoid having to use their often questionable testimony in court? - www.likroper.com
November 28th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Ordinary citizens can also play a role in this particular crime. I work near an ‘alley’ called Elm Street and one day as I was driving up the street I spotted two men lurking near the cars parked close to the preschool behind McDonalds. As I sat near the corner waiting to turn into Van Ness I spotted on of the men smashing a car window! He grabbed a briefcase and took off on the other man’s bicycle. The other man started walking toward Polk. I back my car up, called the police and followed the culprit. I was able to tell the dispatcher exactly where the man was going. The police showed up, took my statement and arrested the burgler immediately. It only took maybe ten minutes of my time. If thieves know people will report them this might stop some of them from engaging in this criminal activity. Also, NOT leaving ’stuff’ in the car is helpful. This population of street people and petty criminals will target a car even if it just has a few nickels lying around on the dash! I have often been informed by drug addicts where I used to work that they will break in for loose change so they can buy a can of shaving creme! Each citizen needs to take some action and work to report crime and get involved in their neighborhood watch programs. These are effective programs and I know from experience, that they work. I am not entirely sure what the comment prior to me is all about…”since cops often lie” but I would like to say to that person that not ALL cops lie and in fact many don’t lie. I get sick and tired of people bashing the police when they don’t understand what it takes to be an officer of the law. Yes, SOME may lie and those are corrupt ones that eventually get caught in their lies one way or another but most cops are decent and try to do the best job they can under the circumstances which is usually lack of support from police administrations. We as citizens need to show support for police and encourage our legislators to allocate more funds for police and implement better training and support systems in police departments. Policing is a complicated issue and undercover officers don’t just ’survey peace activists!’ They work very hard to stop drug trafficking. This area of policing is a difficult one and probably one of the most stressful areas of policework and like I said before, the administrations don’t provide the necessary support to the officers that work these stressful details. Aloha!
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:38 pm
The meter maids should also look out for car burglaries instead of just providing revenue. My wallet… er… street is swept every day from 4am - 6am including Sundays, and the parking tickets are efficiently doled out, yet, that never seems to prevent my car from being broken into. Go figure. Why is the city so good at giving out fines, but so weak at preventing crime?