Car breakins in San Francisco and Oakland

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

San Francisco used to be one of my favorite US cities. For variety of reasons, that’s no longer the case. For once the vehicle I drive is frequently a target for bipping (car-breakins) and I can’t risk leaving it on the street. Most pet sits offer free street parking, but that’s where your car is most at risk.
Here is map of the most recent car-breakings and there and as you can see there are a lot, over 30,000 last year, 15,000+ this year.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/sf-car-breakins/

If you are planning on petsitting in San Francisco or Oakland and you are renting a car make sure to never leave anything of value visible inside, even if you are stopping for a 5 minutes coffee or food purchase.

I see everyday reports how tourists lost all their belongings stolen from their rental vehicles. Only about 1% of these breakins are ever solved, so involving the police will not help.

2

SF has been like this since I started visiting family there. That’s about 20 years now. It’s been a dumpster fire on wheels for crime.

Lots of cities are bad though and have gotten worse. Vancouver has always had issues in East Van, Gaston, etc. but now Kitsilano is really bad for this stuff.

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3

Actually, leave nothing at all, unless it’s obviously trash.

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4

I lived in the Bay Area and had my car broken into nearly 30 years ago. Have lived there again since and now visit frequently. I just never leave anything in my car or rental car. No problems.

When I visit now, I often stay at a hotel with outdoor parking, which I find convenient. Haven’t had any break-ins and haven’t seen any glass around the lot.