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Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Image 2 of 14 Vandals damaged trees and benches at the AIDS Memorial Park in Golden Gate Park in two incidents over the weekend of Aug. 8 to 10. The windows of a parks department truck were also smashed over the weekend, police said. less Vandals damaged trees and benches at the AIDS Memorial Park in Golden Gate Park in two incidents over the weekend of Aug. 8 to 10. The windows of a parks department truck were also smashed over the weekend, ... more Image 3 of 14 Vandals damaged trees and benches at the AIDS Memorial Park in Golden Gate Park in two incidents over the weekend of Aug. 8 to 10. The windows of a parks department truck were also smashed over the weekend, police said. less Vandals damaged trees and benches at the AIDS Memorial Park in Golden Gate Park in two incidents over the weekend of Aug. 8 to 10. The windows of a parks department truck were also smashed over the weekend, ... more Image 4 of 14 Vandals damaged trees and benches at the AIDS Memorial Park in Golden Gate Park in two incidents over the weekend of Aug. 8 to 10. The windows of a parks department truck were also smashed over the weekend, police said. less Vandals damaged trees and benches at the AIDS Memorial Park in Golden Gate Park in two incidents over the weekend of Aug. 8 to 10. The windows of a parks department truck were also smashed over the weekend, ... more Image 5 of 14 Image 6 of 14 Vandals damaged trees and benches at the AIDS Memorial Park in Golden Gate Park in two incidents over the weekend of Aug. 8 to 10. The windows of a parks department truck were also smashed over the weekend, police said. less Vandals damaged trees and benches at the AIDS Memorial Park in Golden Gate Park in two incidents over the weekend of Aug. 8 to 10. The windows of a parks department truck were also smashed over the weekend, ... more Image 7 of 14 Park manager Eric Andersen walks through Golden Gate Park in June 2013, pointing out saplings snapped in an act of vandalism. Park manager Eric Andersen walks through Golden Gate Park in June 2013, pointing out saplings snapped in an act of vandalism. Photo: The Chronicle Image 8 of 14 Bikers pass through the area of Golden Gate Park where the tree vandalism occurred in June 2013. Bikers pass through the area of Golden Gate Park where the tree vandalism occurred in June 2013. Photo: The Chronicle Image 9 of 14 Park manager Eric Andersen walks through Golden Gate Park in June 2013, pointing out the saplings snapped in an act of vandalism. Park manager Eric Andersen walks through Golden Gate Park in June 2013, pointing out the saplings snapped in an act of vandalism. Photo: The Chronicle Image 10 of 14 Image 11 of 14 Signs were posted in Golden Gate Park in June 2013 to warn passersby to stay out of an area where tree vandalism occurred. Signs were posted in Golden Gate Park in June 2013 to warn passersby to stay out of an area where tree vandalism occurred. Photo: The Chronicle Image 12 of 14 Evidence of tree vandalism in Golden Gate Park in June 2013. Evidence of tree vandalism in Golden Gate Park in June 2013. Photo: The Chronicle Image 13 of 14 Evidence of tree vandalism in Golden Gate Park in June 2013. Evidence of tree vandalism in Golden Gate Park in June 2013. Photo: The Chronicle Image 14 of 14 Golden Gate Park plagued by mysterious vandals 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

There are no witnesses. There is no surveillance video. There are no fingerprints. And the victims definitely can’t tell police what happened.

Vandals have been tearing up trees and smashing property in Golden Gate Park for months, and San Francisco police say they have their hands tied when it comes to catching the culprits.

Most recently, police documented three incidents of vandalism over the weekend: two reports of damaged benches and trees at the AIDS Memorial Grove and one report of a Department of Recreation and Park truck getting its windows smashed, said Richmond Station Capt. Simon Silverman.

In March, vandals went on a four-week spree, committing five to six acts of destruction near the Grove and Shakespeare Garden that damaged three concrete planters, three wooden planters, two large terracotta planters, one bench, two metal signs, more than a half-dozen metal trash cans, one large engraved boulder and countless log path lines, said parks department spokeswoman Connie Chan.

During the spree, Chan said the vandals also harmed three flowering cherry trees, two crab apple trees, five coast live oaks, one Hawthorne tree, one purple-leaf cherry tree, one dodonaea, one vine maple tree and one large rhododendron.

Silverman said the officers who work out of Richmond and Park stations, which share jurisdiction over Golden Gate Park, all have a good idea of who’s behind the vandalism. He can’t say if the same people are responsible for every act, but officers patrolling the park have caught a few repeat offenders over the past few months who were arrested and issued stay-away orders from the park.

“The problem is, we can suspect somebody but if we don’t see them actually doing the damage or have something that ties them to it, like surveillance video — and there is no camera out there — we’re stuck not knowing who did it,” Silverman said. “We’re at a disadvantage. It’s frustrating.”

Last summer, Ken Frisch, 66, of San Francisco was cited when police said they caught him in the act of damaging trees. Officers weren’t able to connect him to a rash of sapling decapitations — more than 200 since September 2012 — that has plagued the park.

“In the case with some of these guys, it’s pretty clear that they have some significant mental health problems that can be an underlying factor,” Silverman said. “Because it doesn’t make any sense. This is just sort of vandalism in a way that’s not really sensible.”

Two officers from the Richmond Station and two officers from the Park Station patrol the park full time, Silverman said.

“The challenge is that it’s a big area, it’s lots of trees and bushes and there are a lot of places for people to do things that can’t be seen,” he said. “Given how big the park is and how many trees and benches there are, it’s really hard to know where and when the person will strike.”

Adding to the challenge, Silverman said, is that if the vandalism occurs at night, fewer possible witnesses are around.

Both stations have increased patrols and are meeting with a neighborhood prosecutor to discuss options to stop this vandalism. Silverman said that, for now, they’re working to enforce stay-away orders for people they’ve caught vandalizing property.

“There are people that come to mind, but we can’t prove that they did it,” Silverman said. “We just have to be on the lookout for them, or for anybody else that’s damaging trees and property.”

Silverman asked that anyone who witnesses vandalism to call 911. Anyone with additional information is asked to call San Francisco police at (415) 553-0123.