SF Marina District Residents Fed Up With Brazen Crime Spree Rent Safety – CBS San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Fed up with brash property crimes, residents of the Marina District of San Francisco are taking matters into their own hands to protect themselves.
“We don’t feel safe in our neighborhood,” said Katie Lyons, a Beach Street resident. “And we have an alarm, we have cameras on our property, but we want the extra security that someone is keeping an eye on our house.”
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She said home and car break-ins in her neighborhood were so out of control that she is now paying for the security services of Patrol Special Officer Alan Byard.
Some of their neighbors have also recently become customers. Byard said he made several laps in his vehicle from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. looking for anything inappropriate or suspicious. He charges $ 65 a month per place of residence.
“It’s a beautiful area down here, people are scared of what’s going on,” said Byard. “They want a safe place to raise their children. Last year 10 of my customers left the city. “
Byard, who also patrols companies, says its private customers have more than doubled since the pandemic began, from 70 to 150 in the marina alone.
The biggest problem in the area is car break-ins, he said. He often deals with the homeless who sleep on the residents’ front doors. Petty thefts and break-ins are also common, according to Byard.
Patrol Special Officers work as private patrols overseen by the Police Commission.
Lyons said it was not uncommon to find stolen property, including empty luggage, right outside her home. Car burglars frequently break into vehicles parked at the nearby Palace of Fine Arts.
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“Especially at night I don’t walk with a purse, I drive or take an Uber, and that becomes a problem during the day too,” added Lyons.
In fact, popular Australian singer Clinton Kane was the victim of a brazen armed robbery in nearby Cow Hollow on Friday. Thieves made off with more than $ 30,000 worth of camera equipment.
Several videos posted on social media show that theft only lasts a few seconds and that witnesses or passing drivers do not deter burglars day or night.
A surveillance video by Trisha Bantigue shows a car break-in on Hawthorne Street and Howard Street in SoMa last month. She said she was careful not to leave anything in her brand new car and was still not immune.
A dash cam video was repeatedly recorded on Friday at Fisherman’s Wharf on Beach Street and Columbus Avenue. A waiting black Audi followed closely before the suspect finally stepped in.
Allan Brown, a resident of Marina, has lived in the area for 20 years.
When asked if property crime has gotten worse:
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“Oh, absolutely, absolutely. This place was once upon a time – nothing would ever happen here, ”he said.
