On Tuesday morning, Mayor London Breed announced a new, privately funded reward of up to $ 100,000 that will result in the arrest and conviction of those involved in organized crime rings that fuel car break-ins, according to the Mayor’s Office.
According to a press release, the reward will be financed by “private donors in the hotel and tourism industry”. The mayor’s office did not immediately send back a request for further information on these “private donors”.
According to the press release, the San Francisco Police Department and other regional law enforcement agencies have “identified fewer than a dozen regular car break-in teams responsible for the vast majority of the car break-ins that have ravaged Bay Area cities in recent years.”
The mayor’s office said more than $ 225,000 in reward money. Only those who “provide accurate and transparent information will be compensated up to US $ 100,000”.
“The frequent car break-ins in San Francisco are not victimless crimes, they have real financial and emotional consequences for victims, and we continue to work to hold those who commit these crimes accountable,” Breed said in a statement. “These break-ins hurt our residents, especially working families who don’t have the time or money to deal with the effects, as well as visitors to our city whose experiences are too often tarnished after an otherwise positive experience.”
Breed said “good progress” has been made in “the past few months” since the announcement of the tourism plan to deploy additional police officers in San Francisco to protect tourists, but acknowledged that “there is more work to be done.” “.
In recent years, San Francisco residents and visitors have been plagued by seemingly relentless car accidents, in which perpetrators smash victims’ windows and snatch the items inside.
For the week that ended on July 4th alone, 566 car break-ins were reported across the city – a high point in 2021, announced the mayor’s office.
The latest available data for the week ending October 17 shows that San Francisco has reported 358 car break-ins – a 37% decrease from the week ending July 4.
In addition to its tourism deployment plan, SFPD has “stepped up” its “Park Smart” public awareness campaign, the mayor’s office said. The Park Smart campaign, which is a collaboration between several authorities in San Francisco, seeks to educate drivers and visitors about the prevalence of car break-ins and advises them to take the necessary precautions, such as parking in car parks with a companion if possible.
