How To Prevent Car Break-Ins San Francisco
How To Prevent Vehicle Break-Ins San Francisco, Catalytic Converter Theft, Smash & Grabs Bay Area, Bike Thefts, Garage Break-Ins & more
Updated August 12, 2024
Below are steps to minimize chances of break-ins today, tomorrow etc. Of course people should hold elected officials accountable, demand police do their jobs etc. but in the meantime, these steps have proven to reduce break-ins in aggregate, over time, for the masses.
Similarly, you are not expected to do anything below as it is not your responsibility to do so.
San Francisco Safety Tips For Tourists, Locals
There is no perfect solution outside of moving to Presidio Terrace or selling your vehicle, BUT there are ways to drastically reduce vehicle break-ins and catalytic converter theft in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Popular reads by Eddie’s List:
Walking Groups San Francisco Bay Area (and a few bicycle groups)
Is It Safe To Travel To San Francisco, How Bad Is It Right Now?
These are a couple of commonly asked questions about San Francisco and the truth is, it is not as bad as the media portrays it nor as bad as it was in 2021-2022. Yes, things should be better but it takes time. I would argue that San Francisco is at its best right now (August 2024) - best since pre-pandemic.
That said, these are safety precautions one should take not just in SF but traveling anywhere. Read more on San Francisco crime & safety here.
Sign up for my free weekly email newsletter below with events (festivals, street fairs, talks, classes, live music, popups), news-roundup, food/drink recommendations and more… over 18,000 subscribers and counting.
Car Break Ins Bay Area, Car Theft San Francisco
Car break-ins felt like they achieved all-time highs from 2021-2023 during COVID.
You probably saw videos like this below:
Why So Many Car Break Ins Bay Area
Thanks to viral social media videos, relentless coverage by conservative media and lack of pursuit and prosecution by cops and district attorneys, thieves felt empowered to commit more crimes without threat of punishment.
Some may attribute it to lack of police funding, others will say quiet quitting and some may feel say cops are dejected by media coverage and how they are viewed.
The truth is, it’s probably a little of everything as well as courts slowing down during covid (safety), turnover in the DA’s office, lack of jail space and people out of work and seeing others get away with thefts.
How To Prevent Catalytic Converter Theft San Francisco Bay Area
Park on steep hills (more risky to lift cars)
Park on streets with 90 degree parking (and park closely in between cars). Tougher to access cars when lodged between other cars parked on such streets.
Get a good shield (this won’t stop theft but it can increase chances a thief will move on and target other vehicles without one).
Get a car alarm (one that goes off when cars are lifted).
Park on one-way streets on the left-hand side. Most converters are located on the driver's side and if parked next to the curb are harder to access (especially from the passenger side.
Again, doing one of these things will not prevent all theft but the more you do the above items, the more likely you are reduce catalytic converter theft.
How To Prevent Vehicle Break-Ins (Bipping) Bay Area, Smash & Grabs San Francisco
Avoid vehicles with out-of-state plates (the assumption is that they are new to California or are a tourist)
Avoid rental vehicles (see #1 above)
Avoid tinted windows (leave doubt about what is inside the vehicle, having no tint reduces ambiguity).
Avoid SUV’s, hatchbacks & vans. No protected trunks, easier to access all areas of the vehicle.
Avoid vehicles with fold-down rear seats. Thieves know which vehicles have access to the trunk.
Leave nothing in your car. This means chargers, wallets, phones, blue-tooth devices, laptops, luggage, sweater, shoes, sunglasses etc. Thieves see if you try to put things away in a glove box, center console, under the seat, or trunk.
Avoid Audi’s as they typically have a valet key in the glove box (and thieves target them more often).
Avoid leaving your garage door opener in your car.
Avoid touristy areas or areas with high-break-ins. Even if you follow the guidance in the items above, vehicles in touristy areas often don’t and thieves typically will target several vehicles at once.
Don’t leave electronics in your vehicle (there are blue tooth scanners that can detect devices that are left on/sleep mode)
Work trucks are targeted because they often have work tools.
Avoid Kia’s & Hyundai vehicles.
Use air tags to track stolen vehicles.
Some other things people have done that I can’t comment are:
Leave signs on the window (nothing in car, broken into already, a teacher with no belongings, killer bees inside).
Leave the center console and glove box open.
Leave trash in the vehicle.
Laying down a white sheet in the back of hatchback with cover left open so that it’s easy to tell there is nothing in the back
To support my work and allow me to create more free, helpful guides like these for everyone to enjoy, feel free to buy me a coffee.
How To Stop Vehicle From Getting Stolen
Some people have an older vehicle or a type that gets targeted often based on model, location etc. In some cases, people have purchased a boot to reduce chances of theft.
Steering wheel locks can slow someone down but only slightly. Brake locks are slightly better as they are not easy to cut like steering wheels but again, making your vehicle a harder target will increase chances thieves target easier vehicles.
Neighborhoods w/ The Most Car Break-Ins, San Francisco, Car Break In Map
https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/sf-car-breakins/
What To Do After A Car Break-In San Francisco? Report Vehicle Break In Bay Area
Freeze credit cards
If keys/garage door opener or ID are taken, might want to change your garage door code or change locks asap. Nothing worse than getting hit again.
Report the crime. Always. We need to collect the data.
Make an insurance claim
How To Prevent Stolen Vehicles In San Francisco
Get a tire boot/lock.
Get a steering wheel lock.
Get a brake lock.
Report Stolen Vehicle San Francisco
File a police report
Check for parking tickets
Check fastrak activity
Look to see if you are car has been towed.
Key Fob Repeater Theft, Scam - San Francisco Car Break-ins
Ideal targets are people who park in their driveway or in front of their homes and leave their key fobs near the front door close enough so that thieves can use a repeater and enter your car, steal the registration or valet key.
Don’t leave your keys next to the front door.
Manually lock your doors with the key instead of the fob as people will collect signals and wait until you leave your vehicle to access it later.
Bike Thefts, Garage Break-Ins - Bicycle Thefts - San Francisco Bay Area
Lots of bikes are stolen in SF. Whether from streets or garages, they are stolen nearly daily in the city. Knowing how to lock up bikes and look out for your property will reduce chances of theft.
Get a good lock. Get two, even three, if paranoid. The more locks you have and the stronger they are, the more likely thieves will move on to other easier targets.
2 locks for everyday use; 3 if a bad neighborhood/expensive bike, 4 if both
Remove bike seats and get wheel locks. Some locks are gravity-activated i.e. lock if bike is not turned on it’s seat/handles.
Hide your bike in your garage, lock it up. Don’t leave your garage door open for too long. Thieves browse open garage doors all the time.
Don’t rely on garage door openers. Lock your garage with a lock. Learn to deactivate the emergency release lock/latch (thieves can break small window and open the garage door with a manual release).
Avoid expensive bikes if possible.
Add an airtag or similar tracking device to find stolen bike.
Register your bike with the city.
Get rental insurance. Document bike purchases if you need to file a claim.
Bring your bike upstairs/inside your home to reduce the chances of theft.
When locking bike, make sure to leave as little room possible in the ‘U’ so it’s harder for thieves to get tools to lodge in the lock and cut open.
If traveling, move bike inside and lock it up if possible.
Put a hold on mail and packages if traveling as this is an easy way for for thieves to see who is gone for several days.
Some people leave lights and TVs on timers.
If you lock bikes in garage, may want to lock them with weights or something to make it harder to carry out.
Deliver packages to a drop-off point, don’t deliver home if you don’t intend on being home.
Borrowing Your Phone, Venmo Scam
One common scam is when a stranger approaches you and asks to borrow a phone to make a call or send a text because they lost theirs or it ran out of battery. Most people have their phones and apps unlocked and send themselves money via venmo.
Be cautious of who you let borrow your phone (same goes for Bumble dates) and instead, you can suggest you text/call a person for them.
Filing Police Reports To San Francisco Police (SFPD)
Always file reports. Yes, I know it feels like cops do nothing, nothing will happen and while that might be true in most cases, we need to collect the data and hold the cops, DA, elected officials accountable.
Even if you can’t file the report in person immediately, do it asap even if the next day or so. The more we collect the data, the easier it is to make changes. Without the data, it’s harder to proof anything is wrong, things are worse.
Any tips? Did I miss anything?
Stolen Luggage San Francisco
Most thieves don’t care about luggage, clothes etc. They are looking for wallets, ID’s, passports, electronics etc. Best to search nearby in case items are dumped along the side of the road in remote areas, side streets etc.
Can also check reddit, facebook groups, next-door, sfpd lost & found.
How To Reduce Retail Break-Ins San Francisco
Business owners like Foggy Notion on Clement leave an empty cash drawer in the front door saying no cash on premises.
I have seen similar efforts from other businesses that have been broken into and for the most part, have had better success at dodging break-ins. Nothing is perfect/guaranteed but if you can reduce chances of break-ins but a little with relatively little/to no cost, I think it’s worth it.
This won’t stop all burglaries but I guarantee it does reduce chances of break-ins tremendously.
House To Reduce House Burglaries
Limit social media (don’t make accounts private, don’t post public vacation photos)
Put a hold on mail
Send packages to drop point vs leaving on doorstep
Use timers at night to turn on at night
San Francisco Safety Tips - Dog Owners
Beware of coyotes, particularly parks, trails and sunset/sunrise.
Get off your phone, take off your earphones
Be extra cautious if you have small dogs
Be extra cautious during pupping season
Quick Favor
Please take a minute to answer a quick survey, so I can provide the events and information you seek. Thank you to those who have already done so!
Other Useful Links - How To Prevent Bipping, Vehicle Break-Ins, Bike/Gage Thefts San Francisco Bay Area
For more helpful tips on living in SF, subscribe to my weekly newsletter here.
Comment below on additional tips you have for others.
If you would like more free public guides for all, feel free to buy my a coffee.
More free guides here: https://www.eddies-list.com/t/free
Read more about my newsletter here: https://www.eddies-list.com/about
I think your #10 under bipping belongs under the catalytic converter section. Regardless thanks for the info.