SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- A California lawmaker and police chiefs of several Bay Area cities on Friday urged the state to take more stringent measures against the rampant car break-ins and property theft that have plagued the region for years.
Assemblymember Kansen Chu, who represents the Southern Bay Area cities of Fremont, Milpitas, Newark, Santa Clara and San Jose, is planning to introduce legislation this month to increase punishment for those who commit crimes including auto burglaries, Chu's office said in a statement.
Chu said car break-ins not only cause property damages, but could also lead to the leak of confidential data of vehicle owners.
"The Bay Area is seeing rampant disregard for people's property and there are criminal organizations committing these crimes methodically and frequently. Increasing penalties and making these crimes a felonious offense will deter potential criminals," he said.
Local residents of the Bay Area cities have witnessed rashes of auto break-ins in neighborhoods and business centers since early this year.
In San Jose, a dozen car break-ins happened on a single morning, while two people were arrested for breaking into 30 cars in Fremont last month.
Smash-and-grabs have increased from 14 percent to 50 percent in the Bay Area cities over the past few years, according to Chu's office.
Chu's initiative has received strong support from the chiefs of several police departments in those cities.
"Organized criminal groups have learned that auto burglaries are low risk with high reward, with little to no punishment even when caught. It's time we corrected this lack of accountability in the current law," said Armando Corpuz, chief of police at the Milpitas Police Department.
