San Francisco’s auto break-in hot spots We sent a reporter and photographer to four of the hardest-hit square blocks for break-ins. Here’s what they found

San Francisco’s auto break-in hot spots We sent a reporter and photographer to four of the hardest-hit square blocks for break-ins. Here’s what they found

With more than 31,000 people last year reporting the same dismal ordeal of returning to their vehicle to find a window shattered and the inside ransacked, San Francisco claimed the worst break-in rate of any big city in the state. But this target-rich environment isn’t evenly spread.

Thieves visited a collection of hot spots over and over again, particularly tourist draws near the beach or the bay, city landmarks and shopping areas with large parking lots, while by and large avoiding some other areas, according to a Chronicle analysis of crime data from 2017.

Interactive SF's car break-in epidemic

The Police Department has been using the same information to analyze the epidemic and test potential solutions in its 10 districts, which all showed an increase in vehicle break-ins last year. Compiling heat maps, officials are using the data to boost patrols and deploy uniformed and undercover officers.

“We’re going for a visible presence at the locations,” said Northern Station Capt. Joseph Engler, whose district includes a pair of noted hot spots, the Palace of Fine Arts and Alamo Square. “The visibility is working, and we’re getting the word out and asking everyone to be partners in this.”

But solving cases remains a challenge. Police made arrests in 550 incidents last year, or roughly 1.8 percent of cases, according to the data reviewed by The Chronicle. Officials, though, said the numbers may be incomplete, and that their most up-to-date records show 639 cases were cleared with arrests last year.

Each of the window-smashing hot spots has unique characteristics that make them easy quarry and demand a different approach from police and visitors. Yet there are common themes, such as vibrant atmospheres that give visitors a false sense of safety, and parking lots with little to no security where people leave vehicles for hours at a time with visible plunder for the taking.

The Chronicle sent a reporter and photographer to explore four of the worst-hit square blocks in the city to try to understand why criminals find each location so appealing.

Point Lobos Avenue

Looking out over the ruins of Sutro Baths and the Pacific Ocean beyond from his perch behind the counter at Louis’ Restaurant, Tom Hickox offers diners breathtaking views, some of the city’s most famous comfort food, and a hard-boiled warning.

“When people come in, I tell them, ‘If you have anything in your car, go get it,’” he said.

A long stretch of Point Lobos Avenue extending north from Ocean Beach suffered the highest number of break-ins for any single block in San Francisco in 2017, according to city data.

One of the 305 vehicles hit there last year, Hickox recalled, belonged to a film crew that parked in front of the restaurant. The group brought in some gear, but had to leave heavier items in a locked van. When the guests finished eating, they made the sad discovery — the vehicle had been ransacked in a stealthy smash-and-grab.

“I didn’t see anything, and I didn’t even hear anything,” Hickox said. “The criminals are very well organized.”

Though he didn’t witness that caper, Hickox often looks out at the parking lots up the street and notices thieves casing cars and smashing windows. By the time he picks up the phone to call police, he said, they’re gone.

“I felt so bad for these people,” he said. “It’s very deceiving because it seems safe here, but it’s not.”

San Francisco police are aware of the problem along the picturesque point, and when they can, officers place flyers under windshield wipers reading, “Take your things. Lock your car.” Catching the slippery criminals in the act, though, is rare. Police reported making arrests in just one incident along the stretch last year, according to the city data.

As with many other break-in hot spots, the area has large parking lots sitting out of view from the sights people come for. Sutro Baths and the Cliff House, for example, are not visible from the main lot at Lands End.

The lot — the largest in the area — is where burglars really get busy.

Steve Robinson, 62, makes and sells jewelry at a stand in front of the Cliff House two days a week. Sometimes, he said, he’ll walk by and see dozens of freshly pilfered cars with windows smashed in the lot.

“It’s crazy, man,” he said. “It’s going to be hard to stop this thing. They’re running three deep. You got some people that are so sophisticated.”

Illinois Street in Dogpatch

Upscale restaurants, wine bars and artist studios mix with the long-standing warehouses and blue-collar workshops along Third Street in the city’s fastest-growing neighborhood.

Thieves have also discovered Dogpatch’s allure and have been exploiting one square block in particular between Illinois Street and Third Street, to the tune of 195 vehicle break-ins last year. Police reported making arrests in two of those cases.

Unlike so many of the worst-hit areas in the city, the 1000 block of Illinois doesn’t boast any city landmarks or famed tourist magnets. Rather, the quiet industrial backstreet runs beside a row of warehouses near a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. yard.

But Third Street, one block away, has become a popular nightlife destination with an influx of new restaurants and bars.

What really puts this spot in the crosshairs of the burglary epidemic, said workers in the neighborhood, is the ample street parking, as one of the last places in the city with free spots, 24 hours a day. And for those who don’t nab a spot on Illinois Street, there’s a privately operated lot with more than 100 spaces available for less than $20 a day.

“The parking lot has a pretty bad reputation,” said 25-year-old Paul Bougare, who manages La Fromagerie cheese shop on Third Street. “It’s always a risk parking there.”

Bougare rides his bike from his South of Market home, knowing cars are easy targets, especially at night.

During the day, the block of Illinois bustles with trucks pulling into warehouses and visitors coming and going from nearby businesses. Come nightfall, the street goes dark and quiet, and vehicles become easy prey.

“There’s not nearly anyone watching,” said 25-year-old Dave Johnson, who works at a warehouse that stores art for hotels. “It’s a pretty good smash-and-grab spot for thieves. Third is happening, but back here it’s empty.”

A security guard at the parking lot, who said he was not authorized to speak on behalf of Impark, the company that operates the lot, said he was recently hired to patrol it, and believes the change is making a difference. Impark officials did not return messages.

At any rate, people who need affordable parking haven’t stopped coming, even though a broken window costs more than $350 a pop.

Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park is a rough spot in general for break-ins, but one swath popular with guests stands out.

Cars parked near the California Academy of Sciences — from John F. Kennedy Drive south to Martin Luther King Drive, and from Music Concourse Drive east to Nancy Pelosi Drive — were looted 250 times last year, city data show. Police reported making arrests in just one case in the area last year and four in the entire park.

City cleanup crews regularly sweep up broken glass from the streets and sidewalks. But some areas are tough to clear, and the detritus piles up near the Lily Pond, where thousands of multicolored shards sparkle as they mix with dirt, bark chips, pine needles and dead leaves.

The scene offers its bandits the cover of a nearby wooded hillside. Anyone can sneak down a dirt path, hit cars in a guerrilla attack and disappear into the brush.

On a recent day, a stream of cars pulled into another favorite stop for thieves, a large parking lot with little supervision. Visitors to the Academy of Sciences, the de Young Museum or the Music Concourse often park in a two-level underground garage off Nancy Pelosi Drive and leave for hours on end.

As he visited the hot spot on a recent day, Brad Burnham said he knew all about the break-in crisis. The van he uses for his dog-walking business has been busted into five times in the past 18 months in different neighborhoods — though his pooches were never inside when the thieves struck, he said.

“It’s an enterprising activity for sure — especially in places like this,” the 64-year-old said, surrounded by seven dogs.

The first time he was victimized, he was surprised, but after nearly half a dozen times, “You start to realize it’s the cost of doing business.”

The last time his window was smashed, in the Marina neighborhood, the glass broke into fragments but somehow stayed in place. So he opted to tape the window up rather than pay $500 to have it replaced.

“It gives the impression it’s already been broken into,” Burnham said, showing off the unusual visual deterrent.

Palace of Fine Arts

With its elegant rotunda reflecting in a lagoon surrounded by manicured trees, the Palace of Fine Arts is a popular spot for picture-snapping and relaxing. But all too often, that serenity is abruptly cut short when guests discover their vehicles have been burglarized and their possessions taken.

Living just half a block from the Marina landmark, Skylar Skikos has seen the heartbreak firsthand more than he’d like. On a recent sunny day after work, the 38-year-old walked his English sheepdog, named Magnificent, along Baker Street, keeping an eye out for crooks.

“I try to warn tourists,” he said. “This place just gives people a false sense of security. People jump right out and break into cars. I see it all the time. It’s pervasive. It’s terrible.”

The problem is so prevalent that the location is plastered with signs warning people to guard their valuables.

Even so, the streets directly around the palace saw 288 auto break-ins last year— an 11-fold spike since 2003. Police made arrests in six of the cases, according to city data.

Around back from the main building, criminals gorge on a smorgasbord: Out of view from the landmark’s attractive sights, cars in the main parking area on Palace Drive are easy pickings.

While the street in front of the palace bears warnings placed on light poles, the placards on Palace Drive are more in-your-face.

“Attention! Do not leave valuables in your car,” several read, accompanying a graphic of shattered glass over a silhouette of a car.

While the impact of the timeworn signs is unclear, the recent presence of a marked city police cruiser on Baker Street appears to be making a real difference.

Capt. Engler said a greater police presence, combined with outreach to neighborhood associations and the deployment of undercover officers, has reduced break-ins across his district this year.

For his part, Skikos said he’s noticed less broken glass in the street since police stationed an officer there.

But he added, “That’s not a long-term solution. We need to treat our tourists better. We need a deeper solution.”

Chronicle staff writer Joaquin Palomino analyzed the data used in this report.