The exciting city of San
Francisco is Northern California’s financial, commercial and
cultural heart. It welcomes over 25 million visitors each year.
Geographically the city spread across for only 47 miles but it is
densely populated. Housing tons of attractions, visitors are
attracted like a magnet to explore them. It is also known as the
richest city in the US with a yearly budget of around $13 billion.
However, it is a surprising fact to know about San Francisco Car
Break-Ins which are on a rising trend. The reported Car Break-Ins,
San Francisco is averaging around 70 on a daily basis. So is there a
safety concern which the city leaders are unable to address? We need
to dive deeper and find out why San Francisco Car Break-Ins are so
high.
Some
Statistical figures for the past few Years about San Francisco Car
Break-Ins
There are some notable statistical figures available for the past few years about San Francisco Car Break-Ins. Date backed in 2006, the reported incidents were around 10,000 but in 2015 it jumped over 25,000. That means the Car Break-Ins incidents almost doubled and getting worse over a period of time. The reported burglaries caused around $13 million loss to the car owners.
Additional
Expense to people living in the city
Whenever there is a Car Break-In, most of the time the windows are smashed out. If you have any valuables inside, it gets stolen. This comes as a sudden surprise expense to all the car owners. Repair costs are also expensive which can be around $350 to replace the windows. Also, imagine an unexpected situation when you park the car safely and find its glass smashed after being parked. It is definitely a cause of greater inconvenience to the people living in the San Francisco.
What
are the preventive measures taken so far for reducing San Francisco
Car Break-Ins?
The possible identified reasons for the increasing number of car Break-Ins in the city is because of light punitive measures. This crime is not considered as a serious offence and the offenders received light punishment in most cases. 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.”
Crime seems to be out of control in San Francisco. Yet in some cases the SF Crime Data states crime is decreasing. The question then becomes is that accurate, if not why isn’t it accurate.
We all have been watching and reading the news and on top of that we have been talking to the people in the communities. All we hear is how much crime there is. The main topics have been violence, illegal drug use and sales, thefts and car break ins.
“I had a discussion with my team on this topic and what we believe is happening is that the people of San Francisco are increasingly not reporting crime since San Francisco has become extremely lenient on criminals with little to no consequences. An increasing percentage of people in SF figure what’s the use of reporting it when nothing will be done,” said Ken Lomba San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association President.
We conducted a poll on our Facebook Fanpage (please like our page) asking our visitors “When your car is broken into do you report it to the police?” We had 223 people participate in the poll. 119 people marked “Yes, I report it.” 104 people marked “No, waste of time.”
223 Car Break In Victims Polled
Out of 223 Car Break Ins, 104 Did not report it to the police
What this tells us is that all the reported data given to the public stating that there is a decrease in Car Break Ins is missing something and may not be very accurate since there is no data on victims increasing or decreasing in reporting crime. This is an omission to the data presented to the public.
So what we are telling you is the crime rate in San Francisco may be worse than what is reported. For example the Car Break In number of 63 reported Car Break Ins a day is not the actual amount of Car Break Ins in San Francisco per day. It could be twice that amount, possibly 126 a day.
When SF is more lenient then the surrounding counties, it’s a no brainer that the Criminals Come to SF.
So what is the solution, the solution is to fix San Francisco’s broken criminal justice system starting this year by voting in a working district attorney. A district attorney that is not controlled by other politicians, a district attorney that is an experienced prosecutor not a public defender.
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.”
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 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 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.
Recently in San Francisco there have been 2 pedestrian deaths by vehicles. For the year 22 people have died on the city streets outpacing 2018. Several politicians have come together demanding a solution to reduce vehicle versus pedestrian injury accidents. Some have demanded a Traffic State of Emergency.
We want to share with you what existing tools that work and some new tech ideas. Other than law enforcement of traffic violations, here are a couple proven deterrences to get drivers to be aware of there speed and get them back on track.
Vehicle feedback speed display signs
A tool that can be used to calm a road with many speed violators is using a vehicle feedback speed display sign. Solar powered vehicle feedback speed displays signs are proven to slow down drivers and make them more attentive.
Many are portable and can be placed temporarily on just about any road so that they can be used to both calm traffic and collect data at many locations around the city.
While vehicle feedback speed signs calm traffic they also collect data that identifies problem areas and helps law enforcement departments prioritize enforcement and utilize their resources more effectively.
Vehicle feedback speed display signs have become web-enabled so you can track the traffic volumes and speeds in real time. There is no need to drive out to the sign to download the data as it is available on any internet-connected computer. The signs alert you to low battery and tampering, saving unnecessary trips to the sign. They can even alert you to high speed violators and congestion.
Studies conducted both in the UK and in the US have found radar speed signs to effectively slow traffic down. Although the overall speed reductions are generally less than those resulting from physical measures, the signs have the greatest effect on those drivers that are exceeding the posted speed, or traveling within speed transition zones.
Vehicle feedback speed display signs are a cost effective and quickly implemented solution to traffic calming and can be a great complement to longer term engineering solutions. They can help extend limited resources at a very cost effective price.
Embedded flashing crosswalk lights
Compared with other types of warning devices, the effectiveness of the embedded pavement flashing light system seem to be high. When approaching a crosswalk with an embedded pavement flashing light system, drivers are more apt to slow down and yield to pedestrians than when drivers approach a crosswalk with another type of lighted warning device. Also, compared to a crosswalk with no warning device, drivers are more likely to slow down and yield to pedestrians when the embedded pavement flashing light system is in place.
New Tech Controlling Traffic Lights Based on Behavior
This technology is perfect for one way streets where the intersections are set to be green lights by groups in one direction this is called traffic signal synchronization. The purpose of that is to move traffic efficiently but the problem is the straggler that is trying to catch up to the intersection because the light is changing from green to yellow then red.
The straggler car then speeds to attempt to drive through the intersection before the light turns red. This is what creates a risk of violating a red light and an accident occurs, a side collision also called the “T bone accident.”
What if technology was able to detect the straggler car speeding trying to catch up to the synchronized green lights. Well there is such technology by Iteris. The City of Folsom has recently installed it. See video explanation.
The City of Folsom engineered and installed a series of new traffic signals to further increase motorist, pedestrian, and cyclist safety on Empire Ranch Road. The new signals will also support the safest emergency vehicle access at Folsom Fire Station 39 on Empire Ranch Road at Ritchie Street.
The City incorporated the most advanced technology available for the operation of the new Empire Ranch signal system. The new signals have high-definition detection cameras, closed caption TVs, advanced controllers, and fiber optic connections. This technology allows the Public Works Department to remotely monitor and adjust traffic timing and provide proactive maintenance from the Traffic Operations Center.
The timing technology is expected to assist with smooth and safe travel through the area, allowing drivers to maximize the number of green signal lights they pass through while driving at the 45 miles per hour speed limit. Once a driver reaches speeds over the designated limit, the traffic light timing will help to slow down speeding drivers. This system is not used by law enforcement, it is used for distracted drivers to reduce the amount of unsafe speeding vehicles and for the intentional speeders.
SF Weekly reported, “Safe Streets Advocates Demand S.F. Declare a Traffic State of Emergency”
In an interesting turn, advocates also ramped up calls for police and the District Attorney’s office to investigate and prosecute deaths resulting from traffic violations in the same manner as they would a homicide. At the very least, citations of traffic violations must increase, they said.
San Francisco is at the extreme on leniency of crime, we need to swing the pendulum back to the middle with a fair and just system to protect San Francisco.
The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association is pleased to announce its endorsement for San Francisco District Attorney. “Leif Dautch represents the strongest candidate for District Attorney in San Francisco,” says SFDSA President Ken Lomba.
“Leif was spectacular in all areas of our process. He was very articulate and well versed on the duties and responsibilities of a District Attorney. What we liked most of all about Leif Dautch was his experience as a prosecutor and that he will be a working District Attorney focused on results to better the public safety for San Francisco. We found that he has the best plan to attack the car break in problem, he has a plan against environmental law violators, and a goal to build an effective and efficient District Attorney Office that San Francisco will be proud of. We are proud to endorse Leif Dautch for District Attorney,” he says.
Take a close look at Leif Dautch! It’s Time for Change. It’s Time for Leif Dautch! Leif Dautch will be a working District Attorney. He is compassionate to first time offenders yet he will hold repeat criminal offenders and organized crime accountable. Endorse and Vote for Leif Dautch for District Attorney!
It’s Time for Change. It’s Time for Leif Dautch!
The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association went through a rigorous process to arrive at its endorsements. The SFDSA Political Action Committee thoroughly researched candidates and invited each candidate for district attorney to participate in a questionnaire addressing important public safety issues. Our Board of Directors considered the recommendations of the committee and voted to endorse Leif Dautch for San Francisco 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.”
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