Burglary Tourism Booming: International Thieves Target CA Communities

CALIFORNIA — California has many draws for visitors, but one in particular has police concerned as "burglary tourism" is growing in parts of the state, according to reports.

Thieves who come to California from South American countries to commit robberies have become increasingly active in the past several months, the Los Angeles Times recently reported.

"The number of crimes tied to these kind of crews are way, way up," Los Angeles Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told the newspaper, which reported police have created a task force to address the problem.

The "tourists" include visitors from Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, according to the Times, which reported the crews have been involved in hundreds of break-ins in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. They are typically active in wealthy neighborhoods, the newspaper reported.

"They often target homes often connected to open spaces, hiking trails and canyons that give them access," Hamilton told the Times.

Burglars have raided waterfront homes with private docks by boat and use jamming equipment to disrupt security systems, according to FOX 11. A 2022 report from ABC 7 about an apparent burglary tourism case in the Bay Area community of Hillsborough noted that the thieves tend to target homes that abut areas like golf courses.

One crew was connected to at least 30 West Los Angeles burglaries, according to the Times, which reported one of its members wired over $23,000 to Chile and police found $1 million in stolen designer clothes and accessories in a vehicle associated with the crew.

In Orange County, thieves stole a 6-year-old's piggy bank and startled an elderly woman into hiding in a closet, FOX 11 reported.

The tourists can come to California for up to 90 days without having to get a visa or be vetted through Chile's participation in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, according to FOX 11. The Chilean Embassy did not respond to a comment request from the Times.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer is suing President Joe Biden's administration for not responding to public records requests about the issue, FOX 11 reported.