Tag: crime

Car break-ins are a major problem in San Francisco

Car break-ins are a major problem in San Francisco, with thousands of incidents reported every year. In fact, San Francisco has one of the highest rates of car break-ins in the country. This can be a frustrating and costly experience for car owners. However, there is a solution that can help reduce the risk of break-ins – security window tinting.  Make it difficult for the thieves.

car break ins

Security window tinting is a type of window film that is designed to make your car’s windows stronger and more difficult to break. It works by adding an extra layer of protection to your car’s windows that makes it much harder for a thief to break in. Here are some of the ways that security window tinting can help reduce break-ins in San Francisco:

  1. Deterrent Effect

Thieves are often looking for easy targets – cars that they can break into quickly and without being noticed. By adding security window tinting to your car, you are making it more difficult and time-consuming for a thief to break in. This can act as a deterrent, making your car less attractive to potential thieves.

  1. Reduced Visibility

Security window tinting also reduces the visibility into your car, making it harder for thieves to see what’s inside. This can help prevent smash-and-grab break-ins where a thief breaks a window and quickly grabs whatever they can see. With security window tinting, they are less likely to see anything valuable inside and may move on to an easier target.

  1. Increased Durability

Security window tinting is made of a strong, multi-layered film that is 4 mil. in thickness and designed to hold your car’s windows together even if they are shattered. This can help prevent a thief from gaining access to your car, and also reduces the risk of injury if the windows are broken during a break-in.

  1. Heat Reduction

In addition to its security benefits, window tinting can also help reduce the amount of heat that enters your car, making it more comfortable to drive and reducing the need for air conditioning. This can be particularly beneficial in San Francisco’s warm climate.

  1. UV Protection

Window tinting can also protect your car’s interior from the damaging effects of the sun’s UV rays, which can cause fading and cracking over time. This can help maintain the value of your car and keep it looking newer for longer.

Installing security window tinting on your car is a relatively quick and easy process that can be done by a professional. Once installed, the tinting requires little to no maintenance and can last for many years. It is also a cost-effective solution for reducing the risk of break-ins in San Francisco.  Here is an example of security window tint and some locations of installers https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b00016706/

In conclusion, if you want to protect your car from break-ins in San Francisco, security window tinting is a smart investment. It can act as a deterrent, reduce visibility, increase durability, and provide additional benefits such as heat reduction and UV protection. By adding this extra layer of protection to your car’s windows, you can enjoy greater peace of mind and reduce the risk of becoming a victim of car break-ins.

Open Letter to SFO Director Ivar Satero

Dear Director Ivar Satero,

I am writing to you regarding the staffing of police officers at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). As you may be aware, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is currently short-staffed, which means that there are fewer officers available to patrol the city and the airport. This has resulted in a flawed system where SFPD staffing at SFO is dependent on the staffing levels of police officers in the city. This has resulted in a situation where the airport is not receiving the level of police coverage it requires, which can compromise public safety.

It is clear that the current system is not working, and I would like to propose a solution that I believe will be more effective. I suggest that the airport should be patrolled by a combination of SFPD officers and San Francisco Sheriff’s Office deputy sheriffs. This would provide a more stable and reliable source of police coverage at the airport, as it would not be dependent on the staffing levels of the SFPD in the city.

To be specific, I propose that the airport be staffed 50% by SFPD officers and 50% by SFSO deputy sheriffs. This would ensure that the airport receives the necessary level of police coverage at all times, regardless of the staffing levels of the SFPD in the city. This would also enable the SFPD to better allocate their resources and focus on improving public safety in San Francisco.

I understand that this may require some changes in policies and procedures, but I believe that it is a necessary step to ensure public safety at the airport. I urge you to consider this proposal and take the necessary steps to make it a reality.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Ken Lomba
SFDSA President
415-696-2428

SF JAIL HEADED FOR DISASTER

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs have the honor of having served under the only progressive sheriff in California, Michael Hennessy. Our goal was to promote restorative justice, assist offenders into adopting law abiding lives, reduce recidivism, and improve community life.

The current Sheriff’s Department is headed for disaster. Currently, staffing of deputy sheriff’s is at 70% of what is required, and the current Sheriff has slashed programs, increased lockups (prisoners face 23 hours a day in confinement); blown holes in his budget through mandatory overtime, while increasing administration staff, non-essential programs and taken resources away from our core mission, which is running the jails. Sheriff Miyamoto claims there are 176 vacant positions and as a result inmates receive no family visits, inmates are locked in cells for longer, and all regular programs have been cut leaving only a few video/correspondence programs. Even religious services have been cut. No more Catholic services, no more Protestant services, no more Jehovah services, no Muslim services. And addiction services such as AA have been cut.

As a result, the jail’s current policies of increased lock downs and reduced programs have increased the mental health issues of inmates, imperil deputy sheriffs’ safety due to inmates taking out their increased anxieties and tensions on deputies, and cause more staffing issues by encouraging retirements and deputies to leave their jobs.

In the meantime, the Sheriff faces two class action lawsuits because the jails, ignoring Title 24, provides no outdoor access to inmates, so inmates are housed under fluorescent lights, 24/7, 365, and the Sheriff faces accusations of violating inmates’ constitutional right to sleep by forcing breakfast to wake up between 4 am and 4:30 am for breakfast. These lawsuits have the possibility of large judgements against the Sheriff’s Department.

The new DA Brooke Jenkins’ promise to increase prosecution i.e., of fentanyl pushers, as stated in her press interviews, means an increase in incarceration and we don’t have the deputy staff to properly run the jail.

To meet the needs of San Francisco, the Mayor and the Sheriff must adequately staff deputy sheriff’s, at minimum increase the staffing to the 2019 level, with additional hiring of 82 more deputy sheriffs. Recruiting and retention should be a priority and it hasn’t been. A revolving door at the jail serves the needs of no one. Properly staff our jails. Return all programs, particularly addiction treatment and anger management programs.

PROOF:
Exhibit A – staffing report for June 2022 (606 deputies, 23 senior deputies = 629, and 71 sergeants) versus July 2019 (712 sheriff’s deputies and 49 senior deputies = 759, and 57 sergeants). This shows more expensive officers increase at the expense of the line deputies who do the work.
Exhibit B – Consultant staffing analysis: Deputy vacancies are even higher than what Sheriff Miyamoto claims

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association notified SF Mayor to Force SF Sheriff’ s Office to Increase Hiring

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association wrote a letter to San Francisco Mayor London Breed and requested that she intervene to force the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office to increase hiring.

SFDSA President Ken Lomba stated, “We have been advocating for hiring over the last 5 years with Sheriff’s Administration. In the last two years the Sheriff’s Office has taken salary savings to an all time high, exhausting our deputy sheriff members.”

San Francisco Sheriff Miyamoto has told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that he will expedite the hiring of 75 Deputy Sheriffs this year. Sixty new deputies and fifteen academy trained and/or laterals. The problem with this is more than 75 deputies will have resigned and retired by the end of this fiscal year which will put the Sheriff’s Office in a further negative.

To operate the San Francisco Jails, it requires 423 deputy sheriffs. Currently the jail staffing is minus approximately 130 deputy sheriffs. This is not the only staffing shortage at the San Francisco Sheriffs’ Office, the Field Operations Division which is primarily patrol and government building law enforcement is approximately 50 deputy sheriffs short. At the same time the managers and supervisors from sergeant to sheriff are nearly 100% staffed. During Sheriff Miyamoto’s term the amount of supervisors’ positions have increased, and field operation positions have increased. Both of those increases had negatively impacted the staffing within the San Francisco Jails.

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association asked Mayor London Breed to intervene to increase deputy sheriffs in the San Francisco Jails.

SFPD at SFO should be redeployed to the Tenderloin

SF Deputy Sheriffs replacing SF Police Officers at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) would save the City’s general fund by deploying over 200 police officers from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to vacant police officer positions within the City. The initial savings would be 31 million dollars, as indicated in the Budget Legislative Analysis report.

Reallocating some or all of the SFPD resources currently devoted to this low crime area (SFO) to the higher crime areas of the City, like the Tenderloin has obvious benefits. Access to these additional officers for quality  investigation of the significant crimes within San Francisco, would protect residents and serve as a fiscal savings in the overall budget.  Foot patrols and a larger SFPD presence in areas that attract tourists would provide for a safer experience for the citizens and visitors in San Francisco.  In turn, the problems facing our tourist industry and revenues that flow from them will likely improve significantly.  

We conducted a survey to see what the voters thought of this idea. 80% percent support the idea of SFSO replacing the SFPD at SFO.

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office specializes in addressing the law enforcement needs of government buildings and provides an excellent professional alternative to the San Francisco Police Department.  The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association urges you to consider, support and implement a phased plan to replace some or all of the law enforcement duties with the SFSO deputies at the San Francisco Airport. 

Crime is spreading like an Epidemic!

Crime is getting worse in San Francisco which is really hard to believe. This Northern California city welcomes around 25 million visitors annually. Who would imagine thefts in this beautiful city are spreading like an epidemic.  

The reported numbers of car break ins doubled over the years from 10,000 in 2006 to 25,000 in 2015. It is a big area of concern for everyone living in this city.  According to the published report for burglaries, there is a massive loss of over $13 million dollars to the car owners. Moreover, car owners have to bear a huge repair cost of approximately $350 for replacing broken car windows.

In some areas city leaders are able to address burglaries and other crimes. There is a decreasing trend in those cases based on the reported crime data. But in the case of Property Thefts and Car Break-Ins incidents, the number of reported crimes is still very high. So what do you do? Are there any preventive steps to protect yourself?

Over the next couple days, we will be posting some preventive tips to protect yourself from becoming a victim of property theft in San Francisco. Although the police and deputy sheriffs are taking necessary actions, there are some preventive measurers that can protect you from being a victim. It is better to tackle the problem jointly and reduce crime in the city.

Tip #1 Elect a District Attorney that will hold these criminals accountable. We need a District Attorney that will turn San Francisco around from currently being known as lenient on crime with no consequences to a City that will hold criminals accountable by giving first time offenders rehabilitation options but repeat offenders, organized criminal rings will be held accountable in the justice system.

It’s time for someone that will fix our broken criminal justice system. It’s time for someone new and independent, it’s time for a prosecutor who is the real deal. It’s time for Leif Dautch for District Attorney.

“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC.  Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate.  Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”

SF Car Break In’s Gone Wild

More and more car break in’s, now electric car batteries are being stolen! Is everything free in SF for criminals, meanwhile the law abiding person has to pay fines, tickets and deductibles!

Thieves in San Francisco are reportedly targeting Toyota Prius hybrids–and stealing their battery packs and catalytic converters. These items are worth big money when they sell there loot. These stolen Prius parts are sold to mechanics, recyclers’ and sold via online classifieds.

Toyota Prius Burglarized

San Francisco is the most lenient on crime in the Bay Area, if not the state. The lack of consequences for crime in SF makes the criminals even more brazen and you end up footing the bill. Whether its replacing stolen items, fixing your car or paying the insurance deductible. You are not only the victim of the criminal, you are victim of San Francisco’s broken criminal justice system.

In the Wild Wild SF owners of vehicles just about beg criminals not to break into there cars. Should it really be this way?

Or should the people of San Francisco stand up and make a difference with there power of the vote. We need to vote for someone that will stop the car break ins. Someone that will hold repeat criminal offenders and organized crime accountable.

It’s time for someone that will fix our broken criminal justice system. It’s time for someone new, it’s time for a prosecutor who is the real deal. It’s time for Leif Dautch for District Attorney.

“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC.  Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate.  Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”

Are SF Car Break Ins a Free for All? Seems like it

Over the last two years data has been reported that Car Break Ins are decreasing and that San Francisco is just under its epidemic level that was reported in 2017 when there were 85 reported car break ins a day. Since then reported data in the news showed fluctuations in the data from 60 car break ins a day to now up to 80 at day.

We are very impressed with NBC’s report. They have put together a very thorough investigation of the San Francisco car break in epidemic. President on the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association stated in a previous article, “I believe there is a cycle of crimes that relate to this starting with illegal drug use. Since Prop 47 when felony drug possession and felony property crimes were changed to misdemeanor crimes it had reduced the length of the prison sentence too, in some cases, a citation and probation. Couple that with extreme reformist district attorneys declining to prosecute crimes, dismissing criminal charges, and offering lenient plea bargains is another issue. Lack of consequences has emboldened criminals. The ease of illegal drug use with highly addictive drugs perpetuates car break-ins to fund the habit and in some cases it perpetuates violent acts because of the effects of the illegal drugs. And on top of that, there is organized crime taking advantage of San Francisco’s leniency on crime. All of this puts San Franciscans in danger,” says Ken Lomba. 

NBC reported, “San Francisco’s nearly 30,000 car break-ins last year shattered previous crime records and illustrate an organized and elaborate crime operation that law enforcement calls an “epidemic.”

Of the nearly 30,000 car break-ins in San Francisco last year, the police department made arrests in just 1.7 percent of cases, totaling 790 arrests, according to data provided by the police department and district attorney’s office. Of those taken into custody, most were never sentenced to jail time.

The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit installed four hidden cameras inside a vehicle to expose a rising surge of car break-ins across San Francisco
By Bigad Shaban, Robert Campos and Anthony Rutanashoodech
Published Feb 25, 2018 at 10:56 PM | Updated at 1:35 PM PDT on Mar 12, 2018
Car Break In Free for All

We fear that some of the victims of the car break ins are not reporting the crime. It is as almost this has become the San Francisco norm. Recently the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association had started a poll on its Facebook Fan Page San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs' Association Facebook Fanpage and the results have been surprising. If you have a Facebook account we encourage you to like our page and take part in the poll. Our polling is trending surprisingly high, showing a trend of victims not reporting car break ins because they feel nothing is being done about it. That means the amount of car break ins can be extremely higher than what the data is reporting. This unfortunately means San Francisco car break ins are a Free for All.

Our association has a political action committee and we will be accepting donations to our PAC to advocate for legislation changes and politicians that will do something about this epidemic. Our fundraising site can be found at sfdsapac.com

The way to fix this is first to elect a stable and well balance district attorney like Leif Dautch. One that will be a working district attorney that has a plan to stop the car break in epidemic. The next step is we have to tighten up some of the laws that were changed under Prop 47 and enhance penalties for violating ankle monitoring and for violating probation. There also needs to be an escalation in punishment for repeat offenders to deter future crimes to “slow down the revolving door.”

With a District Attorneys election coming in November, two out of four of the candidates being a Politician and a Public Defender it may get worse because their policies may encourage crime. The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association vetted all the candidates and found the best one to be Leif Dautch for District Attorney.

“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC.  Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate.  Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”

What to do during an Active Shooting?

What do you do when there is an Active Shooter? How do you react? Violence can occur for many reasons whether it’s a violent rage, hatred, a disgruntled employee, or mental illness.

In many cases, there is no pattern or method to the selection of victims by an active shooter, and these situations are, by their very nature, unpredictable and evolve quickly

This Twenty to Ready video helps you know what to do if you find yourself in a mass shooting incident.

The Run Hide Fight video demonstrates possible actions to take if confronted with an active shooter scenario. The video also shows how to assist authorities once law enforcement enters the scene.

RUN and escape, if possible.

  • Getting away from the shooter or shooters is the top priority.
  • Leave your belongings behind and get away.
  • Help others escape, if possible, but evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow.
  • Warn and prevent individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be.
  • Call 911 when you are safe, and describe shooter, location, and weapons.

HIDE, if escape is not possible.

  • Get out of the shooter’s view and stay very quiet.
  • Silence all electronic devices and make sure they won’t vibrate.
  • Lock and block doors, close blinds, and turn off lights.
  • Don’t hide in groups- spread out along walls or hide separately to make it more difficult for the shooter.
  • Try to communicate with police silently. Use text message or social media to tag your location, or put a sign in a window.
  • Stay in place until law enforcement gives you the all clear.
  • Your hiding place should be out of the shooter’s view and provide protection if shots are fired in your direction.

FIGHT as an absolute last resort.

  • Commit to your actions and act as aggressively as possible against the shooter.
  • Recruit others to ambush the shooter with makeshift weapons like chairs, fire extinguishers, scissors, books, etc.
  • Be prepared to cause severe or lethal injury to the shooter.
  • Throw items and improvise weapons to distract and disarm the shooter.

“Law enforcement will respond to save lives and stop the shooting. These are the heroes that run towards danger, while everyone else is running to safety,” said Ken Lomba, President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association.

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Concerns build about Violence on the Chinese Community

Concerns are building about violence against the Chinese Community becoming the new norm. With decriminalization of laws, extreme leniency and little consequences for crime in San Francisco, will attacks on the Chinese Community go unnoticed in SF’s lenient Justice System?

Sasanna Yee, representative from Communities As One
Sasanna Yee
Communities As One

Sasanna Yee, “Unfortunately, violence on the Chinese community is becoming the norm. It is occurring almost daily and increasing in brutality. Why is that? This is a serious problem that needs to be examined and stopped. How can we bring more peace and safety to communities living in fear of the next attack?”

Ken Lomba SFDSA President
Ken Lomba
SFDSA President

“I believe there is a cycle of crimes that relate to this starting with illegal drug use. Since Prop 47 when felony drug possession and felony property crimes were changed to misdemeanor crimes it had reduced the length of the prison sentence to, in some cases, a citation and probation. Couple that with extreme reformist district attorneys declining to prosecute crimes, dismissing criminal charges, and offering lenient plea bargains is another issue. Lack of consequences has emboldened criminals. The ease of illegal drug use with highly addictive drugs perpetuates car break-ins to fund the habit and in some cases it perpetuates violent acts because of the effects of the illegal drugs. And on top of that, there is organized crime taking advantage of San Francisco’s leniency on crime. All of this puts San Franciscans in danger,” says Ken Lomba President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association.

Grandma Huang Popo photo by Sasanna Yee
Grandma Huang Popo photo by her Granddaughter Sasanna Yee

On Wednesday, Jan 9th, an 88 year old elderly woman, Grandma Huang Popo Wong was clinging to life after she was brutally assaulted at a park near her home in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley.

Explaining the photo Marlene Tran said, “Granddaughter, Sasanna Yee’s, capture of the TENDER moments between her Grandma Wong (on bed) and Grandma Yee (sadly, recently passed) makes all of us think of our elderly relatives and especially concerned because of the recent brutal crimes against our Chinese seniors!”

Leif Dautch for District Attorney
Leif Dautch candidate for District Attorney

Leif Dautch candidate for District Attorney stated, ”We must send a clear message that violence against the elderly or targeted at a particular ethnic community will not be tolerated in San Francisco, and we must work to expand language access for 911 dispatchers, police officers, and prosecutors so that all victims of crime feel comfortable reporting. Prosecutors can and should explore a wide array of charges for the attackers, from robbery and aggravated assault to enhancements for great bodily injury and elder abuse. These attacks are examples of why I’ll create an Elder Justice Coordinator in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office to oversee prosecutions involving elderly victims, to coordinate services, and to interface with community groups and leaders. The status quo simply cannot stand. ”

Sasanna Yee Communities As One
Visitacion Valley Public and Personal Safety Workshop

Sasanna Yee conducted a Visitacion Valley Public and Personal Safety Workshop to empower seniors to speak up. Many seniors shared their experiences of being robbed and bullied while living in fear in their own community.

The way to fix this is first to elect a stable and well balance district attorney like Leif Dautch. One that will be a working district attorney not a politician (she will jump at every political issue) and not a public defender (he will be focused on how to release the criminals). The next step is we have to tighten up some of the laws that were changed under Prop 47 and enhance penalties for violating ankle monitoring and for violating probation. There also needs to be an escalation in punishment for repeat offenders to deter future crimes to “slow down the revolving door.”

With a District Attorneys election coming in November, two out of four of the candidates being a Politician and a Public Defender it may get worse because their policies may encourage crime. The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association vetted all the candidates and found the best one to be Leif Dautch for District Attorney.

“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC.  Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate.  Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”