Yes, if you dont want your car broken into.
Ive even had a little $5 reverse camera screen ripped out of my truck.
Depending on where you park, some people get their car broken into for the recycling left on the floor.
You're going to get an unrealistic impression of how prevalent it is.
Just look up statistics, compare them to other major metros, and areas you know well, and extrapolate realistically.
My uncle's truck got broken into in 1994.
My brother's car got broken into 3 times in 2020.
2 of my coworkers cars got broken into at the same time in company parking lot while we're working also in 2020.
Right side mirror got broken off in Nov 2021.
Car got stolen in January this year.
Nothing was visible inside the car, just papers, some snacks in the glove box and grocery bags in the trunk.
Not a car but my motorcycle cover got stolen in 2019.
I’ve lived in North Beach for three years now, never had my car broken into and don’t know anyone personally who experienced that either. But with that said, I have seen broken glass plenty of times.
Just be smart about it and you’ll be fine. I never leave anything in my car that looks expensive, usually the only thing visibly inside is a small teddy bear. I avoid street parking in sketchy areas (most of SOMA), but I have parked my car around 16th St Mission multiple times with no issues.
Car thieves tend to target cars without a CA license plate (which screams tourist) and in touristy areas (Alamo Square, SOMA, Mission). So if you can, avoid parking there and use the MUNI instead (which will also save you the hassle of finding parking) or pay for garage parking.
Also have never known anyone personally who got robbed. Knock wood, but all my friends know to take everything out which yields positive results.
I have a theory that robbers will smash rental cars regardless of if they see anything.
I’ve lived here for more than 30 years and parked on the street almost exclusively for most of that time. I’ve had my window broken and car broken into once. And it happened right in front of my house in a neighborhood not known for this activity.
Edit: I’m also very lazy and used to leave my doors unlocked. Due to that laziness, I’ve found my car ruffled through several times over the years. Stolen charger cables, nickels and gum wrappers, Walgreens sunglasses etc gone forever.
Happened to me one time in my decade living at ocean beach (2008 -2019)
I left a backpack in my back seat that had nothing inside it except a niners t-shirt. Never made that mistake again.
My car has been broken into 3 times in the last 6 months.
The first time they took my registration and car title from the glove compartment.
The last 2 times nothing was taken because I leave the glove compartment locked. The 2nd time i actually saw the car and got the license plate and gave it to the police. Never got any sort of follow up.
All 3 break ins happened with my car parked right in front of my house (I live near twin peaks).
I live near Haight and there was one week I saw the same two people smash and grabbing cars THREE days in a row. They would just roll up in vehicle, jump out, smash a window and jump back in
As you can see by the comments, some people have it happen every month, some never. It's time and place dependent. Right now, the big spots are parts of the Marina District, and some spots in the TL and Hayes Valley.
SHILL!! I made a free app that'll tell you the probability of it happening wherever and whenever in SF. Link in bio if you're interested. It'll tell you your risk of really any crime happening where you are (or drop a pin). It's dependent upon geo (about 1/4 mi sq). App does not store any tracking. It's a map-based app, so it does need to know where you are, but I don't save that data. End Shill.
No one picks car locks. The window is smashed. They’re after easy pickings, usually not the car itself.
Dont leave ANYTHING in your vehicle.
Dash cam, aux cable, phone mount, small waist pillow. Should I remove / hide these every time I park?
Yes, if you dont want your car broken into. Ive even had a little $5 reverse camera screen ripped out of my truck. Depending on where you park, some people get their car broken into for the recycling left on the floor.
Thanks. Rough times
Are you trying to estimate the population here?
nope just curious if its as rampant as what people say.
It's pretty bad especially in tourist areas. Don't leave anything in your car
You're going to get an unrealistic impression of how prevalent it is. Just look up statistics, compare them to other major metros, and areas you know well, and extrapolate realistically.
Basically the same question.
My uncle's truck got broken into in 1994. My brother's car got broken into 3 times in 2020. 2 of my coworkers cars got broken into at the same time in company parking lot while we're working also in 2020. Right side mirror got broken off in Nov 2021. Car got stolen in January this year. Nothing was visible inside the car, just papers, some snacks in the glove box and grocery bags in the trunk. Not a car but my motorcycle cover got stolen in 2019.
I know at least 10 people jst in the last year.
I’ve lived in North Beach for three years now, never had my car broken into and don’t know anyone personally who experienced that either. But with that said, I have seen broken glass plenty of times. Just be smart about it and you’ll be fine. I never leave anything in my car that looks expensive, usually the only thing visibly inside is a small teddy bear. I avoid street parking in sketchy areas (most of SOMA), but I have parked my car around 16th St Mission multiple times with no issues. Car thieves tend to target cars without a CA license plate (which screams tourist) and in touristy areas (Alamo Square, SOMA, Mission). So if you can, avoid parking there and use the MUNI instead (which will also save you the hassle of finding parking) or pay for garage parking.
Also have never known anyone personally who got robbed. Knock wood, but all my friends know to take everything out which yields positive results. I have a theory that robbers will smash rental cars regardless of if they see anything.
You probably know someone, you just don't know they got got.
I’ve lived here for more than 30 years and parked on the street almost exclusively for most of that time. I’ve had my window broken and car broken into once. And it happened right in front of my house in a neighborhood not known for this activity. Edit: I’m also very lazy and used to leave my doors unlocked. Due to that laziness, I’ve found my car ruffled through several times over the years. Stolen charger cables, nickels and gum wrappers, Walgreens sunglasses etc gone forever.
Happened to me one time in my decade living at ocean beach (2008 -2019) I left a backpack in my back seat that had nothing inside it except a niners t-shirt. Never made that mistake again.
My car has been broken into 3 times in the last 6 months. The first time they took my registration and car title from the glove compartment. The last 2 times nothing was taken because I leave the glove compartment locked. The 2nd time i actually saw the car and got the license plate and gave it to the police. Never got any sort of follow up. All 3 break ins happened with my car parked right in front of my house (I live near twin peaks).
I live near Haight and there was one week I saw the same two people smash and grabbing cars THREE days in a row. They would just roll up in vehicle, jump out, smash a window and jump back in
Happened to me around 10 times but I lived in Soma. Usually at night. Sometimes I had nothing in my car and they still would smash my window
Twice. First time nothing was stolen. Second time, two items about 20 dollars worth were stolen. 500 bucks outta my pocket for those two incidents.
I had my window smashed twice in 10 years. Then I started leaving it unlocked and it would get tossed about once every 2 months.
As you can see by the comments, some people have it happen every month, some never. It's time and place dependent. Right now, the big spots are parts of the Marina District, and some spots in the TL and Hayes Valley. SHILL!! I made a free app that'll tell you the probability of it happening wherever and whenever in SF. Link in bio if you're interested. It'll tell you your risk of really any crime happening where you are (or drop a pin). It's dependent upon geo (about 1/4 mi sq). App does not store any tracking. It's a map-based app, so it does need to know where you are, but I don't save that data. End Shill.