‘It’s an enterprising activity for sure’
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 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, 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 dogwalking business has been busted into five times in the past 18 months in different neighborhoods — though his pooches were never inside, he said.
“It’s an enterprising activity for sure — especially in places like this,” said the 64-year-old, 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.