Following reports of increased car break-ins in California, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said Monday he will seek to close a loophole in state law that hinders prosecution.
Wiener said car burglaries have reached an “epidemic” level in his hometown. He will introduce a measure, modeled on another, unsuccessful bill he carried earlier this year, that would eliminate a requirement that prosecutors prove that a car’s doors were locked to get a conviction for automobile burglary.
He cited a 26% increase in thefts from vehicles last year in San Francisco, and said thieves are avoiding convictions in cases where they unlock the car, or the car owner leaves the car unlocked.
“The explosion in auto break-ins we’re experiencing is unacceptable, and we need to ensure our police and district attorneys have all the tools they need to address it,” Wiener said.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
Today I’m announcing legislation to fight our auto break-in epidemic. I look forward to working to pass this bill https://t.co/c5ETovJUuQ
— Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) November 26, 2018
