KTVU reported that car thefts in San Francisco are up 18% since last year. The statistic comes from San Francisco Police records, which shows from January 1 through August 31, more than 4,300 cars were stolen in the city.
The section of the city most affected is the “Park District,” which includes the eastern part of Golden Gate Park, the Panhandle, Haight-Ashbury, and the Castro, where there has been a 48% rise in stolen vehicles since last year. Two other hot spots are SOMA (up 33%) and the Tenderloin (up 30%).
Police aren’t sure why these areas are seeing more auto thefts, but SFPD spokesperson Sgt. Monica Macdonald told KTVU that the “density of vehicles in certain areas might be attractive to someone looking to steal cars” and explained that they have more cops — including plain clothes officers and investigative teams — patrolling problem areas. Police stats show that car theft arrests are also up — officers made 15% more arrests this year. Still, they encourage residents to be aware of the issue and call police if they see suspicious activity, including people casing cars for possible theft.
[Via: KTVU; image via Thinkstock]
