Residents in a single San Francisco neighborhood rent personal cop to assist combat crime

Neighbors pay for extra eyes to patrol the community

Christien Kafton from KTVU reports.

SAN FRANCISCO – Neighbors in the Marina District of San Francisco have teamed up and are paying for extra eyes to keep an eye out for crime.

Car break-ins are commonplace in San Francisco. People who live and work in the city’s Marina District say their area is not immune to crime.

“There have been break-ins in stores, car windows have been broken, you can see one at least every week if not every day,” said Michelle Avedissian.

“Since moving here, I’ve broken into my car a few weeks after I moved in. So I see the concern that people are protecting their cars and going around checking,” said Jared Chavis.

Now, neighbors have banded together and paid for San Francisco Patrol Special Police Officer Alan Byard to patrol the area and respond to everything from break-ins to home invasions.

“I do everything a regular San Francisco cop does, except I don’t get involved in vehicle chases or write tickets,” Byard said.

Patrol special officers have been a part of the city since the 1850s. They work with sworn police officers and are hired to patrol a specific area and act with the same powers as police officers. Byard says that when he took over Marina Beat in 2017 he had around 60 clients, and lately the demand for his services has increased.

“It’s about 170 now. Probably 20 last month. Just because of what’s going on,” Byard said.

Those who live and work in the area say the extra eyes can’t hurt.

“Honestly, yes. That brings a breath of fresh air when someone walks around making sure the cars are in order,” said Chavis.

Byard said although he is paid to be here, those who don’t pay for his services benefit from being here. He pointed to houses in the area and said that even though they weren’t customers, he was guarding their homes and working to protect them.