Five South Bay cities in California are receiving a total of 3.75 million US dollars in funding to help fight a sharp rise in auto crime including car break-ins and theft, police authorities said Friday.
Assemblymember Kansen Chu, who represents the cities of Fremont, Milpitas, Newark, Santa Clara and San Jose, secured the funds from the state. The money will be evenly split by these cities with each obtaining 750,000 dollars in combat against vehicular crimes.
Chu presented the funds to the five local police departments at a press conference Friday to help law enforcement in raising public awareness, assist police investigations, help business owners in high-traffic areas to post signs in parking lots, and provide equipment to deter theft.
"I am very concerned about the increasing amount of car break-ins and personal property being stolen. I know that this boost in funding to our local police departments will go a long way to combat this problem," Chu said.
Milpitas Police Chief Armando Corpuz said the city saw 35 percent in crease in car break-ins between January and June this year.
The funding will help local police officers share the resources and work together with regional partners in law enforcement in preventing car burglaries and other crime.
Police said organized groups from other cities and counties including San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa committed auto-related crimes to "smash and grab" valuable electronics left on victims' cars, such as cell phones, laptops and other devices.
The criminals then sold the stolen property to overseas markets for millions of dollars in profits, said the police authorities.
Car theft has become rampant in the Bay Area for years, including the South Bay cities, where auto burglaries have risen at a two-digit rate.
Newark city saw an increase of 30 percent in car break-ins from 2015 to 2018, Fremont 27 percent and San Jose 14 percent, respectively, in the same period.
Santa Clara city in Silicon Valley reported the biggest jump with 125 percent in the first three months of this year, according to police authorities.
