Police cite theft spikes, correct reporting error and announce Operation Safe Streets enforcement

Chief Mays told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on June 2 that reported thefts rose markedly in May and that the department is investigating several clustered incidents.

"You’ll see that the thefts were up quite substantially from 19 to 42 this past month," Chief Mays said, adding that 10 of those were catalytic-converter thefts tied to a single incident and seven other thefts were linked to a separate event at Quant Computers on 501 Mason Road. He said patrol made at least one arrest related to locker thefts at a local Planet Fitness.

Mays also described how a technical reporting issue had inflated auto-theft statistics. After the department switched to a Flock camera system, license-plate hits were logged each time a plate triggered a camera and those duplicate hits were being counted as separate vehicle-theft incidents in the CAD system. "We’ve rectified that problem," he said; after correcting for duplicate camera hits, the department logged four motor-vehicle thefts in May, compared with five in the prior year.

The chief said overall arrests were up 23% year-to-date and that drug-related arrests rose about 54.5%, attributing part of that increase to more proactive narcotics enforcement.

Mays highlighted a continuing operational strain tied to frequent service calls to group homes in Leverne, saying those calls pull patrol resources away from other duties. He said the department will adjust patrol strategies to focus resources on hot-spot areas, naming Lake Forest and apartment complexes near city hall as areas with recurring vehicle-theft patterns.

The department also announced a returning enforcement initiative. "Operation Safe Streets 2026" is scheduled to begin its first iteration on June 13, with officers assigned on overtime and paired with THP and county partners to focus enforcement in areas with the worst speeding, reckless driving and crash reports. The chief said the initiative performed well last year and will run additional iterations in July and August.

On community outreach, Mays noted a summer safety camp planned for two days after school lets out, and several community engagement events—including a kids safety day and school reading programs—designed to strengthen police-community ties.

What’s next: The police said they will continue follow-up investigations on the multi-incident thefts, adjust patrol deployments to address hot spots and run the scheduled Operation Safe Streets enforcement waves over the summer.