“What to do about the two men is a quandary for a city (SF) pursuing criminal justice reform while debating how to manage rates of property crime that for years have been among the highest in the nation.”https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/bike-burglaries-crime-castro-16593795.php …
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“The district attorney’s spokesperson, Rachel Marshall, said in an email to The Chronicle that the office would consider other types of intervention, such as drug treatment, “if there is a specific, viable plan that can address what is driving their behavior.”
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“Superior Court Judge Brian Ferrall ordered Howerton released from jail with GPS monitoring. He did so over the objection of the District Attorney’s Office, which noted that Howerton wasn’t cooperating with his existing probation.”
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“However, as the judge pointed out, another prosecutor had not opposed Howerton’s release at his earlier arraignment.”
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“Police have dispatched more officers to the Castro and nearby areas to address the surge, fueled by a high-end bike boom and correlating with a drop in other forms of theft.” What is a “high-end bike boom”?
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“The department also adjusted investigators’ work schedules, enabling them to respond to crimes in the moment. Such measures probably helped in arresting Tiller and Howerton, police said.”
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“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?”
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“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.”
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“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.”
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“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.”
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“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.”
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“he saw a rise in home break-ins as the pandemic got into full swing, along with another disturbing pattern: more burglaries happening in the early morning, when people were home asleep.”
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“The timing of these crimes concerns police, in part because it could lead to confrontations between perpetrators and residents. To some, it makes the burglary feel more invasive.”
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“Castro resident and Google public affairs chief
@prozan shuddered, noting that a flight of stairs leads directly from her garage into her kitchen.”Show this thread -
“Burglars broke into the garage of her Victorian duplex twice at the beginning of the pandemic, she said, stealing bicycles, luggage and wine. They returned twice more to burglarize an adjacent mail room, after she secured the garage door.”
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“The historic district, long known as a safe haven for the LGBTQ community, has become such a hotbed that police now recommend people lock up their bikes inside their garages.”
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“For many policymakers, burglaries present a vexing challenge. As Burke observed, the crimes are serious but not violent. The perpetrators are often methodical, repeat offenders with tools and expertise. They know how to drill holes and use wires to open garage doors;”
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“they don’t have the desperation of people who steal packages from porches, or even of the drugstore shoplifters who grab toiletries from shelves and toss them into garbage bags.”
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“And in the case of the most recent arrest, both defendants have long rap sheets. Tiller even made headlines in 2016 for participating in a robbery of the Make-a-Wish Foundation at 400 Market St. and stealing a scooter autographed by former Giants right fielder Hunter Pence.”
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“When it comes to the point that these are repeat offenders who are well known and documented — that’s probably the line,” Mission Dolores resident Justin Forth said. Burglars broke into his apartment building’s communal bike storage 3 times in Aug, stealing bicycles & a trailer
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