Most San Franciscans feel it’s unsafe to park on city streets: KRON4 poll

SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) — San Francisco residents do not feel safe parking their cars on city streets, according to a new KRON4 News/Emerson College Polling survey.

The poll surveyed San Franciscans who said they plan on voting in the November election. They were asked if they agreed with the following statement: “I would feel safe parking my vehicle on the street in San Francisco.”

Nearly 60 percent of those surveyed disagreed. Twenty-eight percent responded that they “somewhat disagree,” and 31.5 said they “strongly disagree.”

Only 9.3 percent responded, “strongly agree,” and 31.2 “somewhat agree.”

Auto burglaries are a pervasive problem for San Francisco. In the Bay Area, the crime is also known as “bipping.”

Countless videos shot by witnesses and circulated on social media expose groups of coordinated criminals smashing through car windows, snatching valuables from victims’ parked vehicles, and zooming away. Even in broad daylight and busy intersections, “bipping” crews appear undeterred by onlookers .

Last year, Police Chief Bill Scott pledged to crackdown on auto burglars. Scott said, “I’m disturbed every time I see these crimes on social media or the local news. Auto break-ins are devastating to residents and visitors who should be having a joyous experience in San Francisco rather than the nightmare of losing their valuable personal belongings.”

Since then, SFPD has activated automated license plate reading cameras to alert nearby officers about the whereabouts of suspects’ vehicles, launched aerial surveillance drones, and planted “bait cars” in hot spots with undercover officers waiting nearby.

A recent drone video provided by the San Francisco Police Department shows a group serial car burglars breaking into an SUV outside KRON4’s news station on the Embarcadero. A police drone flying overhead followed the getaway vehicles before officers on the ground nabbed a trio of suspects.

The Embarcadero, Alamo Square, Palace of Fine Arts, and Fisherman’s Wharf are all considered auto burglary hot spots.

Auto burglaries fall under SFPD’s “larceny theft” category crime stats. Between January and September of 2024, victims reported 14,396 larceny thefts in San Francisco, according to SFPD data. During that same time period last year, victims reported 24,540 larceny thefts.

Most San Franciscans think crime is increasing

Despite the significant year-over-year drop in larceny thefts, the majority of respondents in the KRON4 poll felt crime is on the rise, with 43.5% of those polled saying they thought it was increasing. That’s compared to just 22.6% who thought it was decreasing and 34% who felt it had remained the same.

Although crime is not the top issue the city is facing, according to poll respondents. That would be homelessness, which 31.1% of those polled said they felt was the city’s top issue, compared to 27.3% who felt it was crime.

Is Union Square safe? Here’s what voters think

The KRON4 poll was the first major poll done after San Francisco 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall was shot during an attempted daylight robbery in Union Square. In the aftermath of that event, San Francisco Mayor London Breed saw an eight-point drop among the percentage of likely voters who supported her, compared to a San Francisco Chronicle poll last month.

Despite that, a majority of likely voters surveyed still felt Union Square was safe. When presented with the statement: “Union Square is a safe place to visit and bring my family,” 15.8% strongly agreed and 41% somewhat agreed.

That’s compared to 16.7% who strongly disagreed and 26.5% who somewhat disagreed.

Poll Methodology

The KRON4 News/Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey of San Francisco voters was conducted between September 5-7. The sample of likely voters, n=750, has a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error (MOE), of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

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