“An Unacceptable Status Quo,” Supervisor Preston Calls for Public Hearing on Car Break-Ins in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO — As the latest data shows an increase in car break-ins throughout the City in comparison to pre-pandemic levels, Supervisor Dean Preston is calling on city departments, including the Mayor’s Office, the San Francisco Police Department, Recreation and Parks Department, Office of Economic and Workforce Development, District Attorney’s Office, SF Municipal Transit Agency, and Department of Emergency Management to report and present their plans to address the issue to the public at an upcoming hearing.

“It’s an unacceptable status quo. Year after year, residents and visitors to our neighborhoods are victimized by car break-ins, but despite many announcements, the City has made no noticeable progress in addressing this persistent issue,” stated Preston. “It is time to let the public know what the City has been doing, what’s been working and what hasn’t, and what can be done collaboratively to finally reduce car break-ins in San Francisco. ”

In 2017, the City launched its Park Smart campaign, which included signage, posters, and other messaging materials placed in garages and street signs. Later, in 2021, the City announced a rewards program to incentivize people to come forward with information about fencing operations. However, it is unclear how each program has been implemented and evaluated, or whether any portions of the programs have been abandoned. It is also unclear whether any rewards have been sought or paid out in connection with the 2021 reward initiative, and if so, how much. Meanwhile, residents continue to deal with broken car windows, stolen possessions, and shattered glass on streets and sidewalks, while visitors are left with trauma, financial loss, and less-than-ideal memories of their visits.

District 5 contains several hot spots for break-ins, including the Haight Ashbury, Alamo Square, and Japantown. Car break-ins are a regular topic of conversation between the District 5 office, residents, police captains, and other departments. With these incidents rising citywide in comparison to 2019, Supervisor Preston hopes the hearing will give residents an opportunity to share observations and ideas directly with policymakers and department representatives, while offering a public forum to evaluate current city programs and focus efforts on strategies that will make a meaningful impact.

“I do not accept that this is a problem we can’t solve. We just need to work together on more effective strategies,” stated Preston. “That starts with being honest and transparent about the nature of the problem and potential solutions, and that’s why I called for this public hearing on car break-ins. We need to solve this for the benefit of residents and visitors to our neighborhoods.”

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