There are a lot of people for whom this isn't the case: - car owners/homeowners whose deductible is higher than the amount stolen, or who worry about higher fut

There are a lot of people for whom this isn't the case: - car owners/homeowners whose deductible is higher than the amount stolen, or who worry about higher future insurance rates by making a claim that is mostly eaten by the deductible - folks who don't have insurance, like students whose laptops are stolen in cafes - international visitors - other tourists who don't realize they need a police report to get insurance coverage, or who don't have insurance - stores like Walgreens who presumably self-insure against theft. I am not an expert, but I would assume most retail self-insures against theft (i.e. does not carry insurance for petty theft). Interested to know if folks think that isn't the case. I think the data is totally inaccurate. In other places I have lived, I would make a policy report about any crime, expecting the report to generate some good. I wouldn't bother in SF, unless, as you mention, I really expected to file an insurance claim.