In California, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland have the highest rates of retail crime in America, according to the National Retail Federation. Especially stunning is that LA has held the top spot for five years running. But it’s not just stores that are reporting a whopping $112 billion in losses for 2022, smash and grab car burglaries are on the rise too.
Crooks cruise California streets peering through car windows, seeing something valuable inside they break the glass and grab whatever they can. Recently a California District Attorney had her county SUV windows smashed while parked in front of a Justice Center in Oakland. Her work laptop was stolen. She wanted to file a report but gave up after waiting an hour for police to arrive. And this was a DA. Imagine being a citizen with no pull.
Well, residents are finding a way to neutralize the thieves. Car break-ins are so frequent now that residents who don’t want damaged windows, just leave them rolled down and the car unlocked so crooks can access the vehicle and see there is nothing valuable inside. But inviting crooks into your car may be inviting another crime – car theft. Now, Oakland California leads the nation in car thefts with more than 5,000 stolen in 2019 alone. On just one day – September 16th – Oakland Police report 46 cars were stolen inside the city limits.