Fighting Back at Downtown Crime : Fear: Merchants and residents fear downtown crime has become an out-of-control menace.

Robert, who asked that his real name not be published, said he loved living downtown “until I got mugged, which changed the experience completely.”

Robert is one of hundreds of people living and working downtown who fear that crime is an out-of-control menace. He complains that chronic offenders are not arrested because of overcrowded jails, and that the “illusion of safety” he once took for granted is gone forever.

The concerns of Robert and others like him were the focal point of Wednesday night’s Downtown Residents Group meeting. The organization also staged a “flashlight walk” downtown, to urge better lighting.

At the meeting, City Councilman Bob Filner, who represents downtown, said San Diego police plan a new program to target “downtown’s most serious public offenders.” Filner said police will patrol twice a week with the intention of jailing five to eight offenders, instead of just writing citations.

Filner echoed the concerns of scores of downtown residents, who believe San Diego’s core is increasingly beset by crime. He and others said it is ironic that downtown residents are the ones that redevelopers spent millions to attract.

Even Police Chief Bob Burgreen’s family has been a victim of downtown crime. On a radio talk show, Burgreen said his daughter’s car was stolen from a downtown parking lot.

“It’s a big problem. I don’t want to tell you it’s not,” Burgreen said, noting that, because of overcrowded jails and courts, people caught breaking into cars and committing other misdemeanor offenses usually just receive a citation.

Annoying crimes such as car burglaries are on the rise, police say, and there has been a parallel hike--though not a large increase--in violent attacks. Police agree with Filner’s contention that some repeat offenders are able to elude the system.

Robert, the robbery victim, believes the men who stole his wallet are among the group Filner seeks to target--chronic offenders beating the system.

“The main thing people complain about is the increased problem of crime among transients,” Filner said. “I walk around the area talking to residents and store owners, and they all say we can’t get these characters off the streets. “I’ve seen these criminals rip up citations right in front of the police--this simply can’t continue. This (arrest) program will send a signal to the downtown criminals that they cannot continue to act with impunity.”

Filner said he believes that about 100 hard-core offenders are “causing the majority of the problems” downtown and that the “worst of this stuff will stop when most of these are in jail.”

Donna Guevara, an administrative analyst with the crime analysis unit of the San Diego Police Department, said some crimes are up downtown. From January through November in 1990, the downtown area (from Market Street on the south to Ash Street on the north, and from State Street on the west to 18th Street on the east) recorded:

* Two murders, 12 rapes, 296 robberies, 187 aggravated assaults, 309 burglaries, 3,712 larcenies, 385 auto thefts.

During the same period in 1989, there were:

* No murders, 9 rapes, 255 robberies, 127 aggravated assaults, 325 burglaries, 3,144 larcenies, 527 auto thefts.

Ron Oliver of the Central City Assn. said the problem of inner-city crime is complicated by the fact that 350,000 people a day come downtown. But Oliver believes “a lot of crime is being ignored” because its not a revenue producer.

“If you’re over-parked for five minutes, you’ll go to court and you’ll pay, largely because you can,” Oliver said. “But we’re not stopping the petty crime. We’re not walking around and telling panhandlers not to panhandle. We’re not stopping drunks from accosting people. And we’re not stopping burglaries and minor thefts.”

Much of the Downtown Residents Group’s effort is focused on better lighting.

“We don’t want to make it sound so bad that people move out of town,” said Marlene Harrison, the head of the group. “But there are more incidents of muggings and so forth, and we would like the actuality as well as the perception of a bright, safe city.

“We definitely feel lighting has a lot to do with it, and the low-sodium lights currently in use don’t put out a lot of light. They also seem to attract the wrong perception at night, so we’re working for brighter lights and more of them.”

Harrison hopes for more foot patrols, as does Filner. Harrison said it’s “getting more common” to meet fellow downtown residents who have been assaulted.

Robert said he was accosted about 7:30 on a recent evening, during one of his walks. As two men approached, one said, “Do you know what this is?”

“Yes, I do,” he said, referring to it being a robbery.

“We want your wallet,” the man said.

So, Robert gave it to him, losing what cash he had as well as his credit cards. He said the aftereffect was as bad as the theft.

“This is sort of a disgusting way to put it, but it’s like somebody just spit in my soup,” he said. “Living downtown was a total pleasure before that, but now I’m guarded, edgy, wary about my walks. I’m angry, and I feel cheated.”

Robert thinks a lot of the problem is poor lighting. Filner is inclined to agree, but doesn’t want to scrap the low-sodium lights agreed to by the City Council after pleas from Palomar Observatory officials, who said low-sodium lights don’t detract from their ability to view the stars the way high-wattage, fluorescent lights do.

“I’m all for new and better lighting,” Filner said. “I’d like more lighting on buildings, as well as increased security. Perhaps we can add to the mix of low-sodium lights some additional fluorescent lights.

“I’m aware of Palomar’s concerns, and it is a problem. I think we have an obligation to the yellow lighting as well as an obligation to protect our citizens. Let’s try to work out a way to do both. But at the moment, I’m not willing to give up those (low-sodium) guidelines,” Filner said.