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Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar reported to county commissioners that a crime known as 'jugging" is on the rise, so locals need to be aware of their surroundings and those around them.
The sheriff addressed county officials on Tuesday during budget discussions related to increasing the number deputies on patrol.
Salazar also told commissioners of the crimes now on the rise, including one called "jugging."
He said sophisticated rings of "juggers" surveil banks and high end shopping centers looking to target people who appear to have a large amount of cash on them. Salazar said they then trail those targets to their homes or another stop, where there are fewer witnesses to see what happens next.
"You'd be surprised how many people will leave a bank with $10,000 cash and then go inside and fix a sandwich and leave that bag in the center console, where then these juggers will come in and burglarize the vehicle and take it," he said. "But in some instances we've even had people robbed at gunpoint in their driveway."
The sheriff's department said juggers are looking for intended targets leaving banks, for example, with thick envelopes or official-looking bank bags that suggest they may contain large amounts of cash.
The sheriff's department said when such a target leaves a vehicle without the thick envelope or bank bag, the juggers know it's still inside for their taking. The best advice is not to leave the cash in the vehicle.
The sheriff added that the jugger rings often roll into San Antonio from out of town in rented cars to commit their crimes. He named Houston as one location juggers work out of.
Salazar also said crimes involving fraud are up, and he said many of the homicides this year in the county are related to domestic violence.
