Supervisors Pass New Pilot Reward Program (up to $10k) for Information on Residential Burglaries in San Mateo County’s District 3

Redwood City, CA – Today, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to create a new pilot residential burglary reward program, introduced by District 3 Supervisor Ray Mueller, that will provide rewards up to $10,000, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of criminals who perpetrate these crimes.

“Today we add to the list of tools currently being used to both catch criminals and deter residential burglary in San Mateo County,” said San Mateo County District 3 Supervisor Ray Mueller. “Would-be-criminals now will know, should they choose to violate the sanctity of a person’s home in San Mateo County, every person with knowledge of their crime, whether directly or indirectly, will have a strong financial incentive to share that information with the authorities, to bring them to justice.”

In recent months local jurisdictions have added license plate readers, increased police patrols, held community forums to reinforce neighborhood watch programs, worked to register private residential cameras so that their footage can aid in criminal investigations, and utilized tactics such as employing GPS baited items in houses to catch criminals in Atherton.

“When residential burglaries occur, they have a profound impact on our community. These crimes can be challenging to solve, and information from witnesses and nearby residents is crucial to our investigation and identifying those responsible. This Residential Burglary Pilot Program is another tool for our deputies to obtain this critical information by incentivizing people to come forward and share what they know,” said San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus. “I applaud Supervisor Mueller for making this program possible for San Mateo County’s District 3, and extend my utmost appreciation to all of the partner agencies who are working collaboratively to make our communities safer.”

The Residential Burglary Reward Pilot Program will be funded by San Mateo County Measure K funds. The pilot program will be implemented in the cities of Atherton, Belmont, Half Moon Bay, Menlo Park, Pacifica, Portola Valley, San Carlos, Woodside, and unincorporated county areas located in District 3.

“I am strongly supportive of Supervisor Ray Mueller’s effort to combat the plague of residential burglaries in our county by offering rewards to those who provide information leading to the apprehension and conviction of these criminals,” said San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. “Our citizens have every right to feel safe in the sanctity of their own homes, and those burglars who violate that feeling of safety deserve to be held accountable and punished.  This proposal is a strong step in the effort to stop these felony crimes.”