San Francisco, Tourism Business Provide Money Rewards To Cease Auto Housebreaking Fencing Operations – CBS San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – San Francisco is trying to contain a scourge of car break-ins by partnering with private companies to offer cash rewards for information about the fence operations that carry the stolen goods.

Mayor of London Breed joined Police Chief Bill Scott at a press conference Tuesday morning to announce the monetary reward system, funded by private donors in the hotel and tourism industries. The reward of up to $ 100,000 is for information leading to the arrest and conviction of leaders of organized auto break-in fences.

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“The frequent car break-ins in San Francisco are not victimless crimes, they have real financial and emotional consequences for the victims and we continue to work to hold people who commit these crimes accountable,” Breed said in a prepared statement. “These break-ins hurt our residents, especially working families who don’t have the time or money to deal with the effects, as well as visitors to our city whose experiences are too often tarnished after an otherwise positive experience.”

One of the most recent victims of a car break-in in the city was Australian singer Clinton Kane, who was held at gunpoint when his car was broken into in the Cow Hollow neighborhood.

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Police say organized criminal fencing operations are fueling frequent car break-ins in San Francisco.

“Organized crime has caused a lot of thefts in this city. The people at the top have raised huge sums of money by paying criminals on the street to steal anything that makes working families unhappy. This initiative will help us tear these rings apart, ”Sharky Laguana, President of the Small Business Commission, said in a press release.

Police said it is estimated that fewer than a dozen regular car break-ins are responsible for the vast majority of the car break-ins that have struck San Francisco and other Bay Area cities in recent years.

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According to police, the peak of car break-ins this year came two weeks after California emerged from COVID lockdowns. For the week ending July 4, 2021, 566 car break-ins were reported across the city.Community-based patrols have resulted in a sustained decline in car break-ins.

This is a current update. More information will be added based on availability.