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Empty Streets Invite More Brazen Break-Ins

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Flickr Creative Commons

 

Property crimes in the City are down by double digits compared to this time last year. A lot of that is due to the quarantine. But business owners report that break-ins are increasingly common and vandals are getting bolder. 

 

Vandalism isn’t tracked by the city, but police have noted a “change in crime trends” since the shutdown. 

 

Last week someone tried to break into Mitchell’s ice cream by meltingits lock with a blowtorch. And Crossroad Pizzeria suffered five break-ins in three days. Even more unusual is that the burglars targeted the pizzeria’s supply of toilet paper, garbage bags and Clorox wipes. 

 

These incidents join others in the Bay Area, including the burgarlery of a San Mateo restaurant. In that case, the group stole cash and partied on-site for 11 hours.

 

Police recommend owners install surveillance cameras and safeguard their businesses as they see fit.

 
 

Victor Tence is the Production Manager for Crosscurrents and Coordinator for KALW's Training Programs. He is a graduate of City College of San Francisco's journalism program and the 2020 KALW Audio Academy cohort. He transitioned to journalism after spending 6 years cooking in Bay Area kitchens. He is passionate about covering the local hospitality, food and agriculture industry, as a way to advocate for the community he loves. Now, he works as a producer for KALW's award-winning news magazine, Crosscurrents. He also organizes and facilitates KALW's various training programs.