KING CITY — Officers from King City Police Department have increased patrol and asked residents to be vigilant in reducing package thefts and property crimes as they have taken several related reports.
While package thefts stopped on Dec. 31, reports have come in later, causing the investigations to push into 2021. Property crimes, however, have continued into the new year, including stolen vehicles, break-ins, vandalism and theft from unlocked vehicles.
KCPD announced online on Jan. 5 that it believed the recent package thefts were connected. The department also noted it has taken reports of suspects entering backyards of local residences.
Officers have used home surveillance videos shared by residents to work on the cases to develop leads and eventually identify, locate and arrest the suspects.
Due to the popularity of sharing home video footage of crimes in progress online, KCPD has asked community members to share such video with the police to further their efforts to apprehend suspects. Officers also urge any victims of crimes to contact the department.
“If there’s somebody in your backyard and you have video surveillance of someone in your backyard, that’s something you need to contact the police about right away,” said Sgt. Anthony Shaw from KCPD. “They could be potentially dangerous.”
Also noted was that KCPD does not have direct access to community Facebook feeds. The department said it values community members being able to share freely amongst themselves, but it would like the community to report crimes to the police when they occur.
“People were posting this stuff on Facebook and nobody was reporting it to the police department,” Shaw said.
According to the department’s Jan. 5 announcement, “We would encourage each member of our community whether you post information about a concern on social media or not, to report that concern at your earliest convenience to the Police Department so we can initiate an investigation. Keep in mind not every investigation leads to the determination criminal conduct occurred, but our ability to work through the issue is greater when less time has elapsed.”
Police said package thefts typically increase during the winter holidays, and the addition of the Covid-19 pandemic means many residents turn to shopping online, thus causing more packages to be out on porches or front steps for potential thieves to spot.
Shaw said officers are actively working on the theft cases and have a lead, but said timely reporting is key to both apprehending suspects and recovering property.
“It’s hard five days later to try to recover this property,” Shaw said. “It can get disposed of quickly at the flea market or sold on the street.”
KCPD again urged the reporting of any suspicious behavior or vehicles in one’s neighborhood and advised against confronting such suspicious persons, but to gather information and report it. Victims of thefts are urged to contact police immediately. KCPD’s non-emergency line is 831-385-8311.
Having secure locks and alarms in place, and making sure to service faulty devices, was recommended. Police also advised to secure side and rear access points to yards, and have lights on timers inside the home to boost the impression of someone being there.
Exterior lights were recommended to illuminate dark areas where thieves could hide. Video surveillance devices were recommended, especially for the entry and exit points to property.
Shaw reminded residents not to confront suspicious individuals, even though the intent might be to protect one’s home or property.
“The last thing we want is for members of our community to confront somebody that’s in their yard and then violence happens,” Shaw said.
