Officials of the Department of San Mateo Police SMPD arrested a man for a reported vehicle theft in San Mateo Wednesday afternoon.
At approximately 5:30 p.m., SMPD officers were notified of a stolen vehicle near Hillsdale Boulevard and Saratoga Drive and responded to locate the vehicle.
An SMPD officer located the vehicle behind a building located in the 2600 block of El Camino Real. Once backup arrived, a traffic stop was conducted on the stolen vehicle and the driver, later identified as Tenzin Rinchen, was ordered to exit the vehicle.
Rinchen exited the vehicle and was safely detained by officers.
Upon further investigation, officers learned that Rinchen did not have a bail bond order from the San Mateo County Probation Department for a violation of his supervised release.
Officers then transported and booked Rinchen into the San Mateo County Jail for vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle and auto theft with priors.
In light of the incident, authorities have called for taking certain precautions and using anti-theft devices and systems designed to make vehicles more difficult to steal or track and recover.
Some of them are:
- Audible and visible devices: These devices, such as a horn alarm, deter theft by calling attention to an unauthorized attempt to steal or enter a vehicle. Visible devices create a visual threat/warning/deterrent, such as the use of steering wheel locks, as well as anti-theft decals, flashing lights, and window etchings.
- Immobilizer-type devices: These prevent thieves from bypassing a vehicle's ignition system and hot-starting the vehicle. Some embed computer chips in the ignition keys or disable the flow of electricity or fuel to the engine.
- Vehicle Recovery Systems: These devices use electric drive technology that helps law enforcement agencies to