Two men with long criminal histories got caught for stealing bikes. What should S.F. do about them?
Residents and city leaders are searching for answers: Should they tolerate a high level of burglaries as a downside of city living, and focus on barricading their homes? Should people who are repeatedly accused of stealing be targeted with rehabilitation services, or incarcerated so they can’t commit more crimes?
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman is frustrated. He’s a longtime supporter of criminal justice reform whose policy views evolved as he grappled with property crime in his district — a persistent problem that makes residents feel vulnerable in their own homes.
“It raises tricky questions about incarceration,” Mandelman said. “Because so far we’ve been unable to release (Tiller and Howerton) without them committing more crimes. And the question for reformers is, ‘What do we do with someone like that?’”
The Castro and surrounding neighborhoods are hot spots for burglary, in part because many of the homes have garages or basements where residents stow bicycles — an enticement for thieves, because they are valuable and fairly easy to swipe.
Several factors are fueling the trend, from neighborhood architecture, to the e-bike craze, to the increased popularity of bicycles during the pandemic, because gyms were closed and people were driving less often. Thefts of e-bikes and bicycles took off at a time when auto burglaries became less appealing, owing to the dearth of tourist rental cars with luggage in their trunks.
The case of two men accused of burglary in San Francisco is emblematic of the city’s...
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So it's a very high priced old neighborhood.
Garages are detached.
Criminals are breaking into detached garages and stealing mostly bicycles.
What to do?
Police say to strengthen the garages and add security stuff like alarms and cameras.