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San Francisco Burglary Victims Demand Answers About Recent Spike In Crime Across City

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- A sharp increase in burglaries in San Francisco this year has residents voicing concerns for their safety and expressing frustration over suspects not being prosecuted.

Police say patrols have been increased, but homeowners are demanding answers.

ALSO READ: San Francisco Residents On Edge Over Rising Number Of Home Burglaries

Just days ago, one resident told KPIX 5 she ran into a burglary suspect in Washington Square Park. The resident said the suspect had been arrested earlier in September, but was already released and walking the streets.

Residents say they want more assurances from the district attorney's office.

There have been more than 1,000 burglaries so far this year just in the Northern District of San Francisco.

"Any little noise and sound at night, we wake up and look out the window. It's pretty scary," said San Francisco resident Iryna Gorb.

Gorb showed KPIX 5 how her home was broken into in late August, indicating where part of the exterior gate to her home had been cut away.

Soon after reporting the incident to police and getting few answers, she started posting flyers alerting neighbors, who sent her dozens of pictures and videos from their surveillance cameras.

"I was also looking at the videos and seeing the same people. I could see the same backpack and the same shoes," said Gorb.

Gorb mapped out the details, to show investigators the exact locations, counting more than 50 burglaries in a span of just weeks.

Two weeks ago, SFPD announced the arrest of Header Cauich, Daniel Cauich, and Jose Xoolcaamal on suspicion of burglary, but a new policy doesn't allow them to release mugshots of the suspects.

SFPD and Tal Klement, a representative of SF District Attorney Chesa Boudin,  on Thursday participated in a Zoom community meeting to address residents' concerns.

"We can do a better job working with the police department in notifying them so that person can get picked up right away, so that the person is not necessarily out there as in your case with two bench warrants outstanding," said Klement.

According to data from SFPD, in the northern part of the city, burglaries jumped from 683 to 1079 so far through September 20, 2020, year to year. That's a rise of 58 percent. Motor vehicle thefts in the same area also shot up 44 percent so far this year.

"What we needed from him was his reassurance that he's on our side and listening to us and that he sees that we do have a problem and that he's helping us. We did not see that," said Gorb.

Back in 2016, both Cauich brothers and a third suspect were charged with murder for the June 5, 2016 killing of Larry Teevy, 55. But the charges against the Cauich brothers didn't stick and they were not convicted.

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