25,000 Auto Burglaries Cost San Francisco Drivers $19 Million
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- It can be easy to spot shards of car glass in San Francisco as an epidemic of auto burglaries plagues the city.
According to a San Francisco civil grand jury report, auto burglary related crimes were reported nearly 25,000 times last year.
Burglars are particularly attracted to the area of Hayes and Franklin Streets, where "smash-and-grabs" are quite common.
"There are probably two times a week when I'll see glass shards outside; never from a car that's still parked there, of course, but from previous cars," said Adam Stanton, who runs a shop in the area.
Another merchant, Delvon Brown, told KCBS that taking every precaution to protect a car sometimes isn't enough.
"Leave nothing in your car, whether you think it looks like trash, or nothing when you park it," Brown said. "Make sure there's nothing in your car."
The report found that the auto-related burglaries resulted in $19 million in damage. It also called on the city and police to develop and more organized approach to deal with the growing problem.
A police spokeswoman told KCBS they just got the report, and were not ready to comment.
