SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Police Department announced on Monday, November 2, that two San Francisco Sheriff deputies vehicles were stolen after they parked them on the street close to the county jail and sheriff’s office.
The President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, Ken Lomba, told Missionlocal.org that the sheriff’s department makes their employees park on the street and prohibits them from parking in nearby parking lots, which exposes employees to car thefts and break-ins because their vehicles are exposed to the public on the street.
“We recognize the challenges that our deputies experience due to the lack of available downtown parking. The situation has been exacerbated by both private and public construction projects. The Sheriff’s Office continues to work with our city partners on short-term solutions for safe staff parking options. However, subsidized parking is an employee benefit for which the parties must negotiate with the City,” said Sheriff Paul Miyamoto in a statement.
On Change.org, there is a petition calling for safer parking for deputies. The San Francisco Deputy Sheriff’s Association started the petition to compel Mayor Breed to offer them safer parking for their personal vehicles. The petition’s description reads: “In Texas, a Sheriff Sgt. was killed in his car parked near a jail. Attacks and Murder on Law Enforcement is escalating. San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs are the only Law Enforcement Officers in the area of 850 Bryant St. without secure parking. Attacks can happen here. Let’s Protect the Deputies that Protect Us with secure parking. Sign our petition and demand secure parking for our Hero SF Deputies.”
The petition has been up for a year and is available for anyone to sign. Lomba recently signed the petition on November 2, 2020, “Deputy Sheriffs are protecting San Francisco. Who is looking out for them?”
Mayor Breed could not be reached for a comment.
According to the San Francisco Police Department’s website, from January 2020 to November 2020, motor vehicle thefts have increased 31.7 percent in all regions of San Francisco.
