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San Francisco Homeless Attacks Are On The Rise

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Homeless crime is on the rise in parts of San Francisco, and police believe it might be because of the homeless who have migrated from the now closed down Transbay terminal.

The terminal was home to many transients before it was closed for construction last summer. Now, it's believed some of those transients are committing crime in the Financial District, Chinatown, North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf.

KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:

"I do know that we've had an increase in aggravated assaults," said Lynn Tomioka with the San Francisco Police Department.

Earlier this month near Fisherman's Wharf, a woman had a lit cigarette pressed into her cheek in a dust up with transients.

"We are a tourist town, and recently we have had some very horrible crimes involving German tourists, but those were isolated events and we will continue to look at where our resources are best used," said Tomioka.

The police department deploys homeless outreach officers, but they can only offer services. It's up to the people to decide to accept those services or not.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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