Hollister
– San Benito County supervisors approved funding Tuesday for the
San Benito County Sheriff’s Office to buy equipment for its rural
crime prevention program.
Hollister – San Benito County supervisors approved funding Tuesday for the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office to buy equipment for its rural crime prevention program.
The $18,464 in funding was made available through the Central Coast Rural Crime Prevention Program. The Sheriff’s Office plans to buy a tool to mark identification numbers on farm equipment. The numbers are part of a statewide database to help authorities identify stolen farm equipment.
The sheriff’s office will also purchase about $10,000 in electronic surveillance equipment, Sheriff Curtis Hill said.
“We’re going to use it in the farm branches and the construction industry to prevent theft and help with recovery,” Hill said.
The funding also allows for Det. Jeff Goodwin to distribute 250 “Farm Watch” signs through the county’s Farm Bureau and Cattlemen’s Association. The signs will be placed on farms throughout the county to warn would-be thieves of law enforcement and landowner patrols.
The Central Coast Rural Crime Prevention Program includes San Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz counties.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
