Is The South Placer County Jail Bringing More Crime To Roseville?
ROSEVILLE (CBS13) — Some business owners are questioning if the South Placer County Jail is bringing more crime to Roseville after a man stole a car outside an auto body shop with two young kids in the backseat this week.
That man, Charles Hall, had been released from the Jail earlier that day.
Joseph Coltrin trains clients at a business just down the street from the South Placer County Jail. Last year, someone smashed his car windows and stole the expensive equipment inside.
"It sucked, I felt like it was a very much invaded my personal space kinda thing," Coltrin said. "We had the plastic going over it, the tape going over the car."
But he wasn't alone.
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"There was 30 in that night, 30 in that night," he said. "It actually happened to my buddy too who was working out here."
He says he doesn't want to point fingers but believes they've seen an increase in crime since the Placer County Jail moved to Roseville in 2014.
After the Auburn Minimum Security Facility closed down, inmates were moved to the Roseville location.
"Just being in the area when people get released, I see people just walking by, I can't judge, but at the same time, it looks like they're looking for something to do," he said.
Roseville Police say within a one-mile radius of the South Placer County Jail there have been five crimes since December first. There were 63 in all of 2019.
Rob Baquera with the Roseville Police Department said, "If there are more people coming and going, there's more likelihood more crime could potentially occur in that area."
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The most recent case happened just this week. Charles Hall, 33, is now accused of stealing a car parked in front of an auto-body shop with two young kids in the back seat after being released from jail. Twenty minutes later the car was abandoned with the kids safe inside. Hall was found walking on the Thunder Valley Casino grounds.
He was arraigned on Thursday and is now charged with kidnapping and auto theft.
"As crime goes, any development anywhere will increase the level of crime," said Baquera.
Roseville police say there has been an increase in crime with the jail in town, but can't call all of these crimes "inmate related." They say it could be a grocery store or a church, with any new development comes more foot traffic and therefore, more crime.
"Have we seen an increase in crime in that area? The answer is, 'yes,' but would we have seen an increase in crime with any development? The answer to that is also, 'yes,'" Baquera said.
The Placer County Sheriff's Office and Roseville Police Department both respond to crimes at businesses in the area. Police say many of these inmates in the jail are usually in custody for 72 hours or less, which increases the amount of foot traffic this area sees.