Car break-ins in San Francisco are probably more common than the number reported

The amount of car break-ins has steadily dropped down in San Francisco, according to police. But the owner Raymond Templeton Auto Glass Repair of San Rafael states those numbers are most probably much bigger in the reality, based on the experience he has with consumers.

Templeton believes the actual number of break-ins is actually higher because of a lack of car owners reporting the crimes to police. In his estimation, he believes the numbers are 4 or 5 times higher. This might be why he went ahead to write into ABC7 news.

“I watched you on TV and you were informing us how break-in crimes in San Francisco are going down…and I don’t believe that’s the case,” stated Templeton.

“I was talking to the owner of a glass company in San Francisco and they’re selling 300 door glasses every day!”

Numbers from San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) show car break-ins are dropping year after year with 68 break-ins a day in 2019-dropping from 82 in 2017.

“I think the numbers they have are at least tenfold from what is reported,” states Templeton.

SFPD verified suspicions of Templeton to ABC7 News, that car owners probably are not reporting their break-ins, but the vehicle owners should report them.

Templeton says it takes really long to report it. “Most people have been broken into multiple times… it gets normal.”

SFPD also states that a lot of times the cost to replace a window is not more than filing an insurance claim.