Saratoga is known as a safe, family-friendly city, and while its crime rates are lower than its neighbors’, incidents are on the rise.
The affluent area saw its residential burglary rates rise for the second year in a row, according to data presented by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
So far this year there have been 34 residential burglaries in Saratoga, compared to 18 during the same period last year – an 88% increase. There was a total of 75 residential burglaries in the city last year, and 56 in 2021.
The last time the city of 30,000 residents saw an increase in burglaries was 2014, when that number rose from 47 to 52 cases during the first four months of the year.
Police say that crime rates are increasing across the Bay Area. Capt. Neil Valenzuela, who manages the West Valley Patrol Division of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, presented Saratoga’s data during a May 17 neighborhood watch meeting.
“The Sheriff’s Office is stepping up our efforts by proving additional patrol deputies, including our burglary and theft prevention team (BATS). Our detectives are also working with local jurisdictions in order to help solve some of these crimes,” Valenzuela said in an interview.
Identity theft is the most common reported crime in Saratoga, with 68 cases in 2021 and 76 cases in 2022. So far this year, there have been 25 reported cases.
Valenzuela said residents can deter crime in their neighborhoods by calling the sheriff’s office when they see suspicious vehicles or people. Residents should keep their doors locked and windows closed when not home, he added. Motion sensor lights and home security alarms have also been effective in deterring crime.
Saratoga’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) pilot program is intended to help law enforcement solve and prevent crime. The program saw seven readers installed around the city in 2022. The city council is set evaluate the program this fall.
According to the sheriff’s office, these ALPRs have been instrumental in nine cases in recovering stolen vehicles or identifying burglary suspects.
ALPRs have sparked some criticism from civil liberties and privacy groups, who argue the cameras capture too much information about citizens, and some research shows they are not as effective as they claim to be at investigating and arresting criminals.
The Independent Institute in Oakland analyzed 16 years of data on stolen vehicles from Piedmont and found no statistical evidence to show ALPRs deterred vehicle theft or gave law enforcement leads to arrests.
Source: www.mercurynews.com