San Francisco’s newest member of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday said she will hold regular hearings on the epidemic of car break-ins to hold police accountable.

“Car break-ins should not be a toll you pay to live in San Francisco,” said District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani. “It is not a part of city living. I refuse to let this be the status quo in our beautiful city.”

Stefani asked the Police Department to report back to a Board of Supervisors committee in about a month for the first of a series of hearings on car break-ins.

“When I moved to Cow Hollow 17 years ago broken glass on the street was a rarity and now it is a daily occurence,” Stefani said. “You go to any neighborhood meeting or gathering in San Francisco and most, if not all, of the people gathered will say they have been victimized.”

Stefani said there are about 85 car break-ins each day.

“It’s absolutely out of control,” she said.

In 2017, there were more than 30,000 reported car break-ins in San Francisco, a 24 percent increase over 2016.

The hearings could give her a boost in the election for her seat this November. Car break-ins are among the top concerns of residents she represents in the Marina and Cow Hollow neighborhoods.

Stefani said the hearing could reveal that the Police Department may need more resources to combat the epidemic.
auto break-insauto burglariesCatherine StefaniCrimePoliticsSan Francisco Police Department