San Jose Police Department recovers $15,000 in stolen tools from homeless encampment on New Year’s Eve

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — San Jose police say a New Year’s Eve bust at an encampment uncovered $15,000 in stolen tools.

City leaders say it’s proof that the new Neighborhood Quality of Life Unit is working.

Police recovered and returned thousands of dollars of stolen tools to a San Martin plumber and arrested everyone involved.

“This is just a great example of the work we wanted our Neighborhood Quality of Life Unit to be doing,” Mayor Matt Mahan said.

The brand new unit was a priority for Mahan, a way to proactively enforce the city code of conduct to combat the growing number of homeless encampments throughout the city, among other issues.

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An important role of the Neighborhood Quality of Life Unit is to enforce strict “no encampment” zones spread throughout the city — including one at Maybury Road at Highway 101, where the bust took place.

“In this case, the team stumbled upon a cache of stolen equipment,” Mahan said. “It’s not a crime to be homeless, but we expect people to accept shelter, housing services when they’re available. And when they’re not, to at least be abiding by our basic laws.”

Unhoused Advocate Shaunn Cartwright said the bust highlights the larger problem of criminal street gangs using encampments as a sort of front to commit crimes.

While she doesn’t know who is at fault yet, she says the announcement of this bust may represent the city wrongfully placing the blame on the homeless.

“The city needs to decide: are unhoused people all drug-addicted mental patients with no gumption, or are they criminal masterminds?” Cartwright said.