A rash of car break-ins and home burglaries in the neighborhood has some residents, understandably, on edge.
Reader Amy M. sent in the photo above, taken yesterday morning on the 400 block of Waller Street. Amy observed that the car's glove box had been opened and emptied, but that other items in the car appeared to have been spared. In a recent thread on the Lowerhaight.org Google group, commenters discuss several cars being broken into on Hermann Street and Waller. One victim even created a flyer that people can post in their car windows, reading "THERE ARE NO VALUABLES IN THIS VEHICLE TO STEAL." Several of the cases seem to involve the passenger's side window being broken and the glove compartment rummaged. Meanwhile, comments on a separate thread note recent burglaries at homes on Haight and Broderick, Haight and Divisadero, and Laussat Street. The suspects in the Laussat Street case were caught, thanks to an employee of Upper Playground who witnessed them hopping a fence. Finally, an apartment on the second floor of a building at Page and Pierce was the target of a "hot prowl" and robbery on April 10th, in which a burglar climbed up the front of the building via a portico over the door and entered the living room window. The perpetrator fought with one of the apartment's residents, stole a laptop and fled. Police told the residents that there had been a few similar incidents in the area in recent weeks. A glimpse at crimemapping.com, which is a site that -- yes -- maps crimes, does reveal a number of burglaries and vehicle break-ins or thefts in the past month, although the site only maps crimes that have actually been reported to police. If you're the victim of a burglary or break-in, be sure to call the police. Even if you don't think it's worthwhile, letting police know that these crimes are happening will help them better allocate resources for our neighborhood. And, needless to say, be careful out there.
Reader Amy M. sent in the photo above, taken yesterday morning on the 400 block of Waller Street. Amy observed that the car's glove box had been opened and emptied, but that other items in the car appeared to have been spared. In a recent thread on the Lowerhaight.org Google group, commenters discuss several cars being broken into on Hermann Street and Waller. One victim even created a flyer that people can post in their car windows, reading "THERE ARE NO VALUABLES IN THIS VEHICLE TO STEAL." Several of the cases seem to involve the passenger's side window being broken and the glove compartment rummaged. Meanwhile, comments on a separate thread note recent burglaries at homes on Haight and Broderick, Haight and Divisadero, and Laussat Street. The suspects in the Laussat Street case were caught, thanks to an employee of Upper Playground who witnessed them hopping a fence. Finally, an apartment on the second floor of a building at Page and Pierce was the target of a "hot prowl" and robbery on April 10th, in which a burglar climbed up the front of the building via a portico over the door and entered the living room window. The perpetrator fought with one of the apartment's residents, stole a laptop and fled. Police told the residents that there had been a few similar incidents in the area in recent weeks. A glimpse at crimemapping.com, which is a site that -- yes -- maps crimes, does reveal a number of burglaries and vehicle break-ins or thefts in the past month, although the site only maps crimes that have actually been reported to police. If you're the victim of a burglary or break-in, be sure to call the police. Even if you don't think it's worthwhile, letting police know that these crimes are happening will help them better allocate resources for our neighborhood. And, needless to say, be careful out there.
