SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Possible hate crimes over the summer took Hillcrest residents by surprise, provoking some of them to take extra safety measures.
"It always hurts. It's mostly for the staff that are working at the front," says Ryan Bedrosian, the owner of Rich's San Diego. "They shouldn't have to come to work everyday and fear for themselves that something is going to happen or there's an attack that's gonna happen towards them."
Businesses installed new security technology, and so did the San Diego Police Department.
ABC 10News reporter Ciara Encinas follows through with the Hillcrest community to find out if that new tech is having any impact on crime.
Taking a stroll in Hillcrest is typically safe and fairly welcoming. However, this summer, several gel pellet gun shootings rocked the community.
"I think that anytime we are targeted because of who we are, it definitely hits you in the gut a little bit because it just reminds you that there are a lot of hateful people out there," says Bedrosian.
Bedrosian remembers the moments his business was targeted by what police call a "possible hate crime" in mid-May.
"We bounce back. We're a vibrant community, and we don't let things like that bring us down. It hurts in the beginning, and we take steps to heal and to move on," he says.
Following the gel pellet gun incidents in Hillcrest, Rich's has installed multiple license plate readers in front of their business. They say since the installation, they've helped police with three to four investigations.
"It only just kinda stores information, and then if there is an incident we know we are looking for, we go back and look, but we're not actively looking at the footage," Bedrosian says.
That's not the only response to those incidents.
On July 8, I reported that SDPD was getting ready to install Smart Streetlights ahead of the Pride Parade in Hillcrest. At the time, SDPD Chief Scott Wahl said he wouldn't tolerate hate crimes, pointing to a 73% increase in hate crimes over the past year.
"This neighborhood that we're standing in today has seen over the last four years the most incidents of hate throughout our entire city," he says.
Wahl classified the trend as an emergency and was able to install the Smart Streetlights without having to wait the usual three-month period for review.
The move caused criticism.
"The morning that the announcement was made that these Smart Streetlights are going up in Hillcrest ahead of the Pride Parade, there were people out here protesting saying that this violates people’s privacy. What is your message to them?” I asked.
“I understand their concern, but at the same time, you have a smart phone. It has GPS on it. You have a vehicle that has GPS on it. There’s multiple ways that if somebody wanted to know where you're going, they could track you, and PD has very strict rules on how they can use this technology," Bedrosian says.
SDPD says it hears the concerns.
"We're trying to use that voice so that we shape our policies to find that happy middle ground between public safety and privacy rights," says SDPD Capt. Jeffrey Jordan.
Data shows that citywide, the streetlights have assisted in nearly 200 incidents, resulting in over 140 arrests.
SDPD says the streetlights assisted in identifying a vandal who spray painted swastikas and anti-LGBT slurs in the neighborhood. For a couple months, the violence stopped.
- RESOURCE LINK: Interactive map showing current Automated License Plate Recognition cameras in use as well as proposed locations for future installations
However, on Sept. 7, 10News reported on more gel pellet gun shootings in the area. Four more people were shot by gel pellets, and police did arrest a man, but they say crimes like this show the need for the cameras.
A suspect was charged several days later, but pleaded not guilty.
"We're looking forward to going to council," says Jordan. "I think when you see some of the needs and the dynamic nature of a crime... You see the evolving threats."
In the meantime, the owner of Rich's is hopeful the streetlights will stay up.
"I hope the publicity of having the cameras is keeping people away," Bedrosian says.
There is not a date set for when the city council will discuss the cameras again. SDPD hopes to install more smart streetlights in other areas, like the beach communities.
If you would like to voice your opinion on the matter to the city council, you can follow this link and fill out the form.
