As long as the police weren’t aggressive when arresting the robbers, that’s what counts. We should pass (or maybe enforce) laws about illegal handguns and using them to commit felonies.

@ John - there are a ton of laws on the books to address unlawful guns - however they are all but impossible to proactively enforce. They serve to keep honest people honest, or to punish bad people after the law is broken and they are caught. These laws will not stop armed robberies from happening.

It appears that Palo Alto is now becoming "The Robbery Capitol of Peninsula"?
All the Robberies Downtown and at the Shopping Centers?
Somebody ought to look into all of this. I have a suggestion.... Why not
Hire "plain Clothes" police for the entire City. It'll be worth it and the Citizens,
will feel Safer? Just my opinion.
Its called "Cause and affect"? Doing this will take care of the "Gun Factor".
How so you say......The police will find the GUNS prior to The Crime. Not after.
There are enough Affluent Citizens in Palo Alto, that can afford the necessary
Service. "Boutique Policing".

Now I've Open the Door up for the "Nay Sayers & the Henny Penny' Gun"
People that Think that they Can (Solve The Gun issues, that have been embedded in American Society over night, and OR in the next 10years.
America was created by "Guns" Find another way. Like waiting 10yrs!
Guns have been here since the beginning of this Nation.
Too many "Hard Headed" Staunch (looking at blood) Humans.
Be it Animal Hunting or Human. Keep the dismemberments in the Slaughter Houses. And if the apocalypse happens. The Cavemen knew what to do.
List of countries in which civilian gun ownership is illegal
Brunei
Cambodia
Comoros
Eritrea
Fiji
Guinea-Bisseau
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Myanmar (except for Chin people)
Nauru
North Korea
Palau
Seychelles
Solomon Islands
Somalia
Timor-Leste
Vatican City / Holy See
Other Countries like Japan & China are very restrictive.

Palo Alto is quickly becoming criminals’ target of choice because it’s a nice, easy, no-risk place to go. With the stunning indifference of the city council, the under-resourcing of the police force, and the growing and well deserved reputation for being soft on crime, our town is quickly descending into the kind of urban decay we all chose not to live in when we came here. When will the citizens of Palo Alto say ‘Enough!’ to our elected officials?

The latest news is that this group have been caught. Well done to PAPD, Milpitas and SF PDs.

What is going on in the world? Crime is getting worse in all California.

They are all from Oakland. Here is the PAPD report and mug shots: Web Link I don't carry my Louis Vuitton purses anymore, it's just not worthwhile, even at Stanford Shopping Center. I am all for the proposed cameras in Palo Alto, we need our safety.

Cameras don't do anything to prevent crime. They (at best) provide some evidence after the fact.

Things that do seem to prevent crime:

* Limiting lead exposure
* Not over-policing minorities, so that you don't end up with communities which refuse to cooperate with police
* Making sure everybody has access to a job which pays well enough to afford food, shelter, and clothing
* Providing services to get people off drugs and to stabilize the mentally ill

This crime spree using guns appears to be one type of crime the proposed street cameras would help prevent or deter. Their vehicle was reported as stolen earlier (and would thus be entered into a database). Street cameras would have spotted the stolen vehicle entering Palo Alto, and law enforcement would be alerted.

I keep puttng in opinions about putting a PA Police substation on Fabien. Add a CHP substation and Sheriff's substation. All there and obvious to any people in the area. That opinion never seens to be accepted for inclusion. All of those agencies will get funding from many sources so all to the good. Fabien is on the border to Mountain View where all type of homeless and super growth buildings are projected to be built. And next to many buildings which are empty with For Lease signs evident. It is next to West Bayshore and East Bayshore where there are many empty buildings. The commercial section south of San Antonio is filled with many questionable old buildings which are empty. A drawing card for people who are on the loose in the city. It is on a major freeway interchange to 101.

We go to Flemings at the SU Shopping Center otherwise I no longer go there. Maybe time to check it out and see what the rabble is up to - searching for older people and their purses. SU needs to step up their security and make it obvious that "qualified" security staff is evident.

The Midtown area of Palo Alto seems like a very dangerous place to be these days No matter what time of day. We can add both train stations to that as well.

This seems like a good use case for automated license plate readers - I wonder if info from any helped the police locate the suspects in this case?

disagree this is a good case for LPRs. Its the opposite. The arrest was made without LPR. The key was cooperation across multiple police departments.

Good job, PAPD. Thank you for apprehending these law breakers. I feel safer knowing that you are at work for our community.

I was glad to learn at a recent Town Hall meeting that Chief Binder is working to increase the number of PAPD officers. I understand this is challenging in the face of a national shortage of officers, and I'm glad to know that progress is being made on that front. Many officers are retiring (baby boomers) and fewer young people are stepping into these roles. (Looking at the unappreciative tone of this thread, I understand why they might not.)

Before we criticize, let's try to understand the problems. Also, you might take a look at crime stats which are publicly available on the PAPD website. There is a lot of hyperbole that is inconsistent with facts in the comments above. Please be careful to be factual when writing in a public forum. Palo Alto absolutely is not the "robbery capitol of the Peninsula". That's fallacious.

Time and time again it seems criminals come from Oakland on 101, get off on Oregon, travel south into Midtown and other neighborhoods and commit some crime of opportunity. Or go straight to Stanford Shopping Center for same.

Maybe they read Malcolm Harris' book and decided Palo Alto is responsible for all the evil in the world. Thanks Malcolm!

These criminals don't seem very smart. Don't they know about Find My iPhone?

@staying home
The article is vague about what sort of info was shared and how exactly the suspects' vehicle was ID'd and how they were found in SF. I wonder if ALPR info from other cities was involved?

The whole security effort requires many tools to be availble - not less. WE are in a downward spiral so add as many security tools as you can. Cameras are a big help in identifying who the perps are. Facial recognition is important to identify people who have prior arrest records. It seems that the same people commit crimes and are let loose. I think that idea has proven to be a total failure. There has to be consequences for illegal behaviour. We need to know who is in our neighborhoods and make it known that they can be checked out and caught. Deterence is key to preventing crime.

Okay so my daughter was victimized by a pedestrian someone on a bike taking her mobile phone and she was on a bike. How will license plate readers append that crime? As well as the recent sexual assault in the cal Ave tunnel at mid day on a Sunday? Clearly there is a major cravass . Palo Alto is percieved as the have’s and the desperate are penetrating the bubble of safety. Idea. Raise wages to an equitable livable reality. Yes. Wait for it. $35 an hour. After all software engineers are getting $100 an hour minimum. Stanford under grads out of college are working, serving food at local eateries. The wage canyon is wide. The despair is deep. Calif largest 5th economy in USA /World. Where does Bay Area wages fall in this category? Extremes are widening. Enforcing law and order will not prevent crime. Sustaining and growing our economic sustenance will. Investing in local & state social and employment programs will help intervene, prevent petty and violent crime. The stronger we are within for our kids/teens, the better we prepare. Having a police state will not detour or prevent crime . We can do better w our own. It’s as if COVID never happened as the deprivation from its consequences unfold on our streets and in our homes. Spade a spade?

This major crime has nothing to do with being hungry or “over policing minorities.”
These perps pointed a gun at a family with little kids. This is a reckless, violent anti-social crime! Heartless!
I hope Santa Clara County DA will prosecute tomthe fullest extent if the law!

In California, it has gone from the fullest extent of the law to the fullest extent "if" the law. That's part of the problem. They do come from Oakland where there is more to steal. ALPRs help fight crime.

This is nothing to do with poor people needing to steal to make ends meet.

This is all to do with an attitude of being able to get away without being caught and if caught will get little more than a slap on the wrist. I don't understand why people think this way, but it has to do with upbringing, morality, and understanding the difference between right and wrong. The selfish behavior of me first and not a care about the rest of the world is getting worse.

California has to get tough on crime and show less compassion to those who aid and abet the criminal element in society.

The anti-law enforcement posters are the same ones who will call the PAPD in their time of need yet they are too cowardly to be a police officer. People who decide to break the law don't deserve to be treated with kid gloves.

Someone mentioned that crime would decrease if everyone had job. Hello?! There ARE jobs out there, the restaurants can't even hire enough. These people just want quick goods instead of being responsible and getting a job. They know that the liberal laws will go easy on them. The laws need to be changed by the politicians. Vote conservative for our safety!

People here are nitpicking if any crime they know of would benefit from LPR. It may not be your crime this time - but maybe next time. Crime does not work on some schedule to the preference of the people being crimed aganst. We need to arm the city with as many tools as possible. Don't you watch any CSI or NCIS shows?