A Vis Valley man had video of an intruder robbing his shed, followed the man to an encampment where his tools were sold, and then tracked the tools down being sold on Mission Street. But he says SFPD would not aid the investigation that he took into his own hands.
'Tis the season of tired sequels, and we are loath but obliged to dredge up the latest version of the ongoing “SFPD did nothing” narrative. But in this case, a theft victim in Visitacion Valley did some of his own detective work after police officers told him “there's really not much that can be done," and tracked down his own tools being sold on Mission Street according to a new report from KPIX.
A San Francisco homeowner frustrated by police inaction and tired of being a crime victim is trying to crack his own burglary case and making some progress. https://t.co/PpBlvmMnaa
— KPIX 5 (@KPIXtv) October 12, 2022
The story above has security video from a Vis Valley couple who captured footage of an intruder breaking into their place, emptying a shed and a laundry room of several tools and other items, and disappearing into a getaway car. The robbed resident recognized both the man and the car, and followed the man to an encampment where he says stolen items were changing hands. He eventually went to Mission Street and tracked down his own tools, which were being sold on the street.
Amidst all of this, he several times contacted SFPD but says he got little or no assistance. "I've reported it from those times at least four or five, only for them to say there's really not much that can be done," the man who identified himself only as Victor told KPIX. "Or they just show up too late for them to do anything."
Despite the financial hit and inconvenience, the couple says safety is their main worry. "We have our own laundry here in the back as you can see. So I even asked [Victor] ‘Do you think it's okay for me to do laundry or should I wait for you to come home?’" his partner Joanna told the station. "So I'm even scared to do something as simple as my own chores because I'm scared that somebody could be in the backyard."
The couple did get some response from the district’s supervisor Shamann Walton, who initiated additional street lighting in the area. Victor adds that "We have an election coming up pretty soon," and to "Start pressing our candidates about what they're going to do about these things."
In Walton’s case, though, he is essentially running unopposed for District 10 supervisor in November, against a candidate who has only raised $2,900 compared to Walton’s $114,000.
Image: Joe Kukura, SFist
