Earlier this week the San Diego County District Attorney announced that three men who had targeted Carlsbad neighborhoods to steal high-end valuables are going to prison. Carlsbad Police arrested the three "burglary tourists" earlier this year after some very solid police work identified the suspects, who it turned out had hit more than 100 homes in San Diego County and were wanted in two states.
Like many city services, law enforcement often involves collaboration with other government agencies. Here’s how it works in a case like this:
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If a burglary occurs in Carlsbad, the victim should immediately call the police (or complete an online crime report).
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Our Police Department utilizes a wide variety of tools, tactics and resources to find out who is responsible. This step is extremely rigorous because the more evidence the police can gather, the higher the likelihood of a successful prosecution.
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Once police have completed this work, the department turns the case over to the San Diego County District Attorney.
- From this point on the DA takes the lead.
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Having a strong working relationship with the DA’s office helps ensure the city understands what is needed to meet the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard required.
The group was part of a foreign traveling crew using the State Department’s Visa Waiver Program to get into the country, intending to commit “burglary tourism,” which has grown significantly in the past few years nationwide. In this case the men came from Chile and Italy.
Here’s a link to the
original article about the case. It also has some important safety tips so you can feel confident you are doing everything you can to prevent your home from becoming a target.
- As always, call 9-1-1 to report a crime in progress and the non-emergency line, 442-339-2197, to report suspicious activity.
- The Carlsbad Police Department takes a “no call is too small” approach as part of its commitment to delivering an exceptional level of service to our community.
- Calls are prioritized by dispatch, so you don’t need to worry that you are pulling officers from something potentially more urgent. (We hear this concern from time to time.)
Public safety is a top priority in the City Council’s
5-Year Strategic Plan, and having the city's own Police Department has served Carlsbad well.
