"Criminal tourism" apparently plaguing well-off Northern California communities
Hillsborough, California — This quiet town has seen an increase in burglaries over the past four months and, reports CBS San Francisco, police say a specific group could be responsible.
Many of the sophisticated burglary crews are coming from South America for "criminal tourism" and targeting wealthy communities, according to a community alert sent Sunday.
Residential security video shows a suspect dropping to the ground before looking around at about midnight on March 11.
A getaway car pulls up as burglars carrying stolen property load up the vehicle. Police say the thieves also stole an SUV from the garage. Detectives announced Sunday they'd recovered the stolen car and processed it for evidence.
Investigators say they believe the suspects in this case are responsible for additional burglaries in Hillsborough and throughout the region. Local authorities are working with other agencies including Southern California law enforcement and federal partners in the ongoing investigation.
Police believe South American Theft Groups (SATG) often enter the U.S. legally and rotate members out of the country in a matter of weeks. Such crime rings were first investigated in Hillsborough in 2018. Suspects often use luxury cars to easily blend into their target communities, police said.
"I've been seeing more policemen driving around at night, people being more concerned recently; because I'm very young and drive a black van. Recently I was stopped by a woman thinking I was a burglar — thief — and asking me what I'm doing here," said Hillsborough resident Matt Gouley.
Earlier this month, surveillance video captured four people carrying a safe away from a home to a dark-colored SUV. Police say credit cards that were in the safe were later used in Modesto and Los Angeles County. Hillsborough Police say previous investigations of this nature also led them to the same areas.
"I do have a lot of friends that live in Hillsborough. We live in Burlingame, and they did mention that they're concerned about burglars breaking in," Joana Khatib told CBS San Francisco. "[It] gets me a little concerned 'cause it feels very safe but it reminds me that maybe we should lock our doors and have actually a Ring camera."