Bait cars, added police patrols deployed to curb auto break-ins in San Francisco
The ongoing plague of automobile break-ins in the city of San Francisco has prompted police to roll out an enforcement operation to combat the smash-and-grab burglaries, which will include the use of bait cars to snare thieves.
San Francisco Police announced Thursday the department was increasing uniformed police patrols in areas of the city where many of the break-ins are happening, such as major tourist sites like Alamo Square, Fisherman's Wharf and the Palace of Fine Arts, among other locations.
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Police Chief Bill Scott unveiled the new enforcement plan outside the Palace of Fine Arts Thursday morning, along with his command staff, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, and District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani.
"Our message to these criminals is clear: If you come to San Francisco to break into cars or commit other crimes, we will arrest you," Police Chief Bill Scott said in a prepared statement. "I'm disturbed every time I see these crimes on social media or the local news. Auto break-ins are devastating to residents and visitors who should be having a joyous experience in San Francisco rather than the nightmare of losing their valuable personal belongings."
Police said bait cars will be among a variety of new steps and investigative techniques used to identify and arrest suspects. Investigators were also building cases against larger burglary crews that operate from outside the city and also involve fencing schemes to sell stolen property.
"We are also going to do bait cars," declared Chief Bill Scott. "Bait car operations. Now, I'm not gonna go into a whole lot of details because, by design, we want the people who are breaking into cars to be caught. And bait cars we believe will do that."
An expanded approach to identifying, tracking and arresting smash and grab thieves is what the chief described, in broad terms, saying it would hopefully serve as a deterrent and a way around direct interdiction, which police say is far more dangerous.
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"It's dangerous behavior," Scott said. "What they do when we try to pursue them is dangerous. What they do when we try to catch them is dangerous."
Beyond making arrests, the District Attorney promised a kind of prosecutorial messaging for those who consider cars in San Francisco a favorable target.
"They have to learn, not only will the police arrest, but once that case is filed something meaningful will happen on the backend to serve as a deterrent for future behavior." said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. "And so that's what we are trying to reinstall in San Francisco right now is that not only will you be caught, but when you were prosecuted, there will be a consequence for that behavior."
"Enough enough is enough," Scott said. "We have to do more. We have to hold people accountable."
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The increased uniformed patrols will supplement the work of plainclothes officers who police say are consistently making arrests of auto break-in suspects.
Funding for the increased patrols comes from the recently approved police budget that increases overtime funding. The department says it currently has a shortage of some 600 officers from its recommended staffing levels, and it will use more on-duty officers for the enforcement operation as more academy classes graduate.
The break-ins have declined since a peak in 2017, but are still a fixture in the city, a plague for tourists, and an almost daily scene for many residents.
"We just came back to the car and they took our passports, my computer, my iPad," said Maria Molina, a recent victim at Alamo Square.
"Every single day," said Annie, who lives near the Palace of Fine Arts, "Cars getting broken into. You walk by and you see the family coming back to the car after it's been broken into, Glass everywhere. Kids in tears, lost their teddy bear. Lost their passports. Can't get home to Nicaragua, or wherever they came from And it is heartbreaking."
Annie is fortunate enough to live near one of the most iconic spots in the city. But the Palace of Fine Arts is also a notorious target. The streets here are littered with "San Francisco diamonds," as car windshield glass is often called.
"And when I see it now I end up talking to the victims," Annie said. "'Can I get your water? Can I get you a sandwich?' They usually end up waiting for two hours outside the car hoping the police will come. I'm glad they're here today because usually they don't end up even showing up."
So why haven't the police been using bait cars? KPIX made several inquiries, but no one had an answer. Police said bait cars have not been explicitly prohibited, but they will now become part of this effort to get more aggressive and bring the numbers down. It will be a process that both police and the district attorney acknowledged may take some time to get results.
Wilson Walker contributed to this story.