Police Share Frustration Over Property Crimes

Police and local officials told District 8 residents that they share their frustration in dealing with what they say is an uptick in property crimes and homeless encampments in the district.

At a community meeting held at Noe Valley's St. James Church January 14, officials conceded that an ongoing staffing shortage by police has reduced their ability to patrol and that the recent wet weather has hampered their efforts to remove large encampments that are blocking sidewalks.

The meeting, convened by Supervisor Scott Wiener, drew over 100 residents, including a number of recent crime victims. The residents criticized the city for its inability to catch and prosecute criminals and expressed their frustrations that none of the city's approaches to dealing with homelessness seemed to be working.

Wiener, who is gay and a candidate for state Senate, has said repeatedly that there is "too much" crime in District 8, particularly auto break-ins.

The supervisor will hold a public safety hearing Thursday (January 21) at 10:30 a.m. before the Board of Supervisors Government Audit and Oversight Committee.

Opening last week's panel was Mayor Ed Lee, who demonstrated his recently acquired gadget, a remote control key fob protector, one of the new technology solutions that are said to prevent criminals from using amplifiers to copy a signal and steal a car.

Lee, who lives in the Glen Park neighborhood of District 8, said, "the city cannot be successful" unless people are safe. He said that police staffing had fallen to 1,700 from its high of 2,000, causing shortages on beats. With at least three new classes of trainees enrolled in the police academy every year, the city should be back to over 2,000 officers by the end of 2017, he said.

Violent crimes in the city have decreased by half since the mid-2000s, said San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr. Shootings have gone from 400 annually to under 200, he said.

Suhr urged residents to keep everything out of their car, most importantly their garage door openers. Suhr said that a typical pattern would be criminals breaking into a car and using the garage door opener to gain entry into the home.

District 8 is primarily served by three police stations: Mission, Park, and Ingleside.

Mission Station Captain Daniel Perea noted that there had been an increase in package thefts and mailbox break-ins during the 2015 holiday period. Perea said that some people have attributed such crimes to the increase in the homeless population, a conclusion that cannot be proven. Some homeless people are among those committing crimes, he acknowledged.

While walking on the street, Perea suggested that in addition to "being aware of your surroundings," people not use "those large 'steal me' headphones" that are an obvious target.

Park Station Captain John Sanford said police officers are trying to do things in a "smarter" way, despite lower than desirable staffing levels. One strategy, he said, is to "redistribute personnel" based on ongoing analyses of crime patterns. The alley behind Safeway on Market, for example, had "literally hundreds" of people in homeless encampments, he said. Police patrol there every evening as well as responding to calls, he added.

Ingleside Station Captain Joseph McFadden, whose district includes Diamond Heights, pointed to a recent case that was solved with cooperation from the public. The so-called wig burglar was reported by several residents, including one who sent video surveillance to Wiener's office on a Sunday evening. The police were able to apprehend the suspect, McFadden said.

McFadden urged residents to call police if they observe someone suspicious. In the case of the wig burglar, there were some people who observed him and reported it on the Nextdoor website, but did not call police.

People "must document" everything they see, McFadden said, including specifics about someone's appearance, what they were wearing, and any identifying details on their vehicle. He suggested that people consider keeping copies of police report forms at home.

Suhr, noting the increasing number of homeowners who have installed video surveillance systems at their home, said, "If you have video" of a suspicious person on the property, "the district attorney" wants it and "juries expect it."

"We are a 24/7 shop," Suhr said. "All the [police department] captains have email." He suggested people check on the police department website to send evidence to the captain of the station where the incident occurred. Within three to six months, a new app called Fight Crime SF, will allow Apple and Android cellphone users to send a video to the police, around the clock, Suhr said.

Audience members told of recent brushes with crime. One woman, who did not identify herself, said that a burglar entered their home - while she, her husband, and daughter were there - by using a credit card to jimmy a dead bolt that wasn't turned all the way. While the incident was terrifying, the woman complimented the police response to their 911 call.

"They were absolutely wonderful in calming us down," she said.

Another resident reported calling 911 and being put on hold three times before getting through. Wiener acknowledged that the city had been short of phone dispatchers but that the problem has since been resolved.

A Castro man, who described himself as visually impaired, said that the homeless encampments at Jane Warner Plaza have made it impossible for him to navigate the space to board Muni. And another resident wondered why the blocks-long line of tents along Division Street has been allowed to remain there.

Perea explained the complexity of dealing with the homeless. While it is possible to issue a citation of blocking a sidewalk or living in a tent, it is especially difficult to convince these people to try to find alternatives while it is pouring rain.

And a woman who had just relocated to San Francisco from New York City, said that she was "shocked" to see how dark it is, especially on side streets. Wiener acknowledged that the lighting in San Francisco was "designed for streets and cars" not for sidewalks and pedestrians.

Wiener urged residents to meet with neighbors and try to determine which spots on their block need additional lighting. "I'll support you," he said, once there is a consensus among neighbors.

Although the meeting was billed as a presentation of current property crime trends, questions by the audience on this topic went unanswered.

In an email to the Bay Area Reporter last Friday, Wiener said, "Last night's community meeting was organized by my office to provide an open dialogue with city officials regarding general public safety throughout the district."

Thursday's hearing will be held at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 250.