Community members discussed how to protect the neighborhood against the recent wave of automobile thefts and break-ins in the uptown area at a Jan. 26 meeting of the Uptown Law Enforcement Committee. According to police data, 28 cars have been stolen in the last month in University Heights and 58 in North Park. There is also a reported increase in the downtown area.

Twenty-five people attended the meeting, which took place at the War Memorial Building in Balboa Park and was led by Capt. Joel Bryden of the Central Division of the San Diego Police Department and Lt. Ray Shaw of the Western Division. Though the cause of the rise in crime is unknown, the officers speculated that an influx of new residents in the downtown, uptown and North Park areas has attracted thieves.

New development and an increase in rentals, coupled with a decline in home ownership, could also affect neighborhood safety. “You bring a lot more of a transient nature to a community,” Leo Wilson, co-chair of the Uptown Law Enforcement Committee, told the Gay & Lesbian Times.

Both the Central and Western divisions are addressing the increased criminal activity, Bryden and Shaw assured, boosting the number of night patrols in the Bankers Hill/Little Italy and Hillcrest/North Park areas. Additionally, the police department is testing a new computer that can read up to 2,000 license plates in one minute, and may purchase one if it proves effective in reducing car thefts.

The police’s Community Relations Officer for Hillcrest, Rick Edgil, said thieves look for easy targets and stressed the importance of never leaving valuables in the car even if they are hidden. He also said car-related crimes are increasing across the nation.

Tips for deterring thievery include never leaving any items in plain view, using a steering-wheel club, having a car alarm and parking the vehicle in a well-lit area if possible. If a streetlight is out in the neighborhood it should be reported to the city for repair. Reports can be made online via the City of San Diego website.

It is important to report crimes in progress to 911 emergency services and to call the police as soon as possible after discovering that a vehicle has been vandalized or robbed.

Shaw reported that 66 percent of car thefts take place between 12:00 midnight and morning, and that Mondays and Thursdays are the most common days for those types of crimes to occur.

It was noted that certain cars seem to be favored over others by thieves, including Ford pickups and Toyota Camrys. Some car manufacturers such as Honda (Civics and Accords), Saturn and Toyota (Camrys) used the same key mold for several years’ worth of models, and thieves can break into these cars using a key from another car of the same model that has been shaved slightly.

“I don’t think people realize how dangerous these neighborhoods used to be,” Wilson said. “Now we’re trying to do preventative stuff to jump on stuff when it really just starts happening, and get people together on it.”

Wilson is worried that a rise in physical attacks may follow the rise in criminal activity, as it did in 1991 when a 16 year old was murdered coming out of a coffee shop next to Rich’s on University Avenue.

A huge crowd held a candlelight vigil and protest in response, Wilson said. After a meeting with police resolved few of their concerns, the community began to get organized. Citizens Patrol and the Uptown and North Park law enforcement committees were formed at that time.

A series of rapes occurred in 2001 in the Hillcrest and Park West areas, and approximately 100 people turned out for a meeting about it, Wilson said. “That was basically a shouting match,” he added. “We didn’t get the report that they had happened until it was about the fifth rape, so the community was just furious.”

At least three muggings reportedly occurred on the Spruce Street Bridge in the Bankers Hill area last October, and the city has since trimmed back hedges and added lights to the area.

“The idea is if we get on top of this car issue hopefully that’ll help deter the other stuff, too,” Wilson said. “This stuff could simmer over the top of the pan very easily.”

A joint meeting of the Uptown and North Park law enforcement committees sponsored by Councilmember Toni Atkins and Deputy Mayor Michael Zucchet will take place at the War Memorial Building in Balboa Park on Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will address car thefts and other criminal activity. Call the Uptown Law Enforcement Committee at (619) 574-0109 for more information.