Having your car broken into is always a risk in a dense residential neighborhood, but lately, despite the fact that car thefts are on the decline, break-ins still seem to be a problem. 

A few days ago, we received a note from tipster from Kate A. saying that the NoPa area is experiencing a "surge" in break-ins:

"In the past two month I have had 7 friends have their vehicles broken into and stolen items from. Is there any information as to whether or not anything is being done about this? Really unfortunate to continually see that every single person who brings a car to this neighborhood has had their car broken into."

Yesterday, we were alerted to a post on the neighborhood social networking site Nextdoor about a car break-in at Buena Vista Park. "I saw a guy going through my car," wrote one local user. "I raced downstairs to chase him off. He was none too happy about it." He described the man as being in his 30s or 40s, about 5'8"tall, with a shaved head and "somewhat dark skin," and wearing big dark sunglasses, semi-casual clothes and potentially a backpack. "He ran when I yelled at him, but he doesn’t run very fast," reported the user. "I thought I had locked my car doors, but then again I may not have."

Park Station put out a PSA in their January 23rd newsletter reminding residents that there are ways to reduce your risk of vehicle break-ins, including leaving your car empty (including charger cords), locking everything (even the sunroof), never leaving a spare key in the car, and of course, remembering to lock your door in the first place. 

From Park Station's most recent newsletter, here are where reported car break-ins occurred between January 10th and January 22nd of this year:

And here are auto thefts from the same window: 

Park Station reported one arrest made in a vehicle burglary at Scott and Golden Gate. The incident took place shortly after 3am on January 12th. Responding officers located and arrested the burglar.

As always, you should always inform police if your car is broken into or you see something suspicious going on. You can even report a break-in online at sf-police.org.

Have you noted more vehicle break-ins than usual in the neighborhood? Let us know in the comments.