Name: ‘Prolific’ offenders help drive 46% surge in SF burglaries
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‘Prolific’ offenders help drive 46% surge in SF burglaries

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You have permission to edit this article.San Francisco police are having trouble keeping up with a roughly 46 percent surge in home and commercial burglaries this year that authorities suspect is being driven in part by chronic offenders.Officers have cleared less than 12 percent of burglary cases this year as of Sunday compared to about 16 percent at this time last year, with reports of burglaries swelling from 4,715 to 6,895 during the same time frame, according to released by the San Francisco Police Department.While FBI crime data from 2019 shows the 12 percent clearance rate is still in line with other U.S. cities of comparable size, Police Chief Bill Scott addressed several issues facing the department during a virtual discussion Wednesday with District Attorney Chesa Boudin.Part of the problem is officers being overwhelmed by the sudden uptick in burglaries that began around the time San Francisco ordered residents to shelter in place in mid-March, Scott said. Another is serial burglars continuing to offend after being arrested and released from custody.The department has compiled a list of 30 such offenders, Scott said. Some are believed to be responsible for as many as 30 known burglaries, and may also be connected to larger enterprises and even international fencing operations.“We have identified some individuals who are prolific and we have to deal with that,” Scott said. “We have just got to figure out a solution.”Holding those serial burglars “accountable” could have a positive impact on the rising burglary rate, Scott said.While the District Attorney’s Office is often blamed for the prevalence of crime, Boudin said his office can only take action on the fraction of burglary cases presented by police.Prosecutors have filed charges in nearly 66 percent of cases presented to them so far this year, according to a spokesperson for Boudin. More broadly, the office took actions such as filing motions to revoke probation in roughly 82 percent of the cases.When it comes to repeat offenders, the problem for Boudin is a lack of social services. He said the criminal justice system needs a “richer, more complex array of options to intervene in some of those difficult cases.”“If my office is able to work with the courts and probation and other agencies downstream to do a more effective job with some of the more prolific folks, then you are going to see your clearance rates go up and we are going to see crime trends go down,” Boudin told Scott.Every police district in San Francisco except Bayview has seen a rise in reported burglaries so far in 2020, according to the SFPD data.Park Station, which includes areas like the Haight, has experienced the sharpest increase with a more than 113 percent jump from 266 to 569 cases.But the station most impacted by burglary is Northern, which includes neighborhoods from Pacific Heights to the Western Addition.Northern Station has recorded a nearly 70 percent spike in burglaries from 836 to 1,420.The latest police data for burglary and other crimes can be viewed . The department’s clearance rates are also available .We provide a free service for you to honor your loved ones. Click below to get started.Sign up now to get news and more delivered daily to your inbox from the San Francisco Examiner:Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.Error! There was an error processing your request.Sorry, an error occurred.You are logged in&nbsp;Thank you .Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.Check your email for details.Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.×Thank you.Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.Rate:Begins:Ends:Transaction ID:A receipt was sent to your email.This offer is currently unavailable.Close

You have permission to edit this article.San Francisco police are having trouble keeping up with a roughly 46 percent surge in home and commercial burglaries this year that authorities suspect is being driven in part by chronic offenders.Officers have cleared less than 12 percent of burglary cases this year as of Sunday compared to about 16 percent at this time last year, with reports of burglaries swelling from 4,715 to 6,895 during the same time frame, according to released by the San Francisco Police Department.While FBI crime data from 2019 shows the 12 percent clearance rate is still...

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Senior reporter @sfstandard. I cover criminal justice and government misdeeds. Former newspaper guy. SPJ NorCal Journalist of the Year winner 2022

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‘Prolific’ offenders help drive 46% surge in SF burglaries

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