Surfing Merchants Battle Rising Tide of Store Burglaries

When Rocky Sabo decided to open a surf shop last July, he expected to have a thriving business where he could feel comfortable opening his doors to any and all of his customers.

Instead, he has had to install iron gates along the windows and doors of his San Clemente surf store, hire an armed guard with a Doberman pinscher to watch his store overnight for one week while he installed the protective gates, keep close watch over customers who are not familiar and hope that he won’t have to close his doors for good.

In the past 2 months, Sabo’s surf shop has fallen victim to two burglaries in which thieves got a total of about $36,000 in merchandise, he said. Other San Clemente surf shop owners have also experienced burglaries within the past year and recently.

The recent surge has owners beefing up their security to include more sensitive and elaborate alarm systems and heavier store windows to resist breakage.

“What do people think, that surf shops are jewelry stores now?” Sabo asked.

San Clemente Police Detective Kenneth Munson said the product simply is in demand on the street.

“There is a large market out there for wet suits and surf-type clothes, especially in beach communities,” Munson said. “You go steal a bunch of wet suits and you’re going to have a market for them. . . .

“It’s not like they’re stealing cheap surfing stuff, they’re stealing quality merchandise,” he said. “Wet suits are kind of expensive. You could make a killing on them. I picture these guys at a swap meet making about $100 for a good one that would normally run for $200 or more.”

Sabo, a 33-year-old San Clemente resident, said his store, Rocky’s Surf & Sport, was first burglarized at about 3 a.m. on Jan. 23. The thieves used a car jack to smash a side window, and in 3 minutes made off with about $18,000 in wet suits, shoes and sportswear. Even though the store’s alarm system, which is wired directly to the police station, went off, the burglars were gone by the time police arrived.

Within 2 months, Sabo’s store, located in Shorecliffs Center at Avenida Vaquero, was hit again. On March 25, in an almost identical pre-dawn burglary, thieves shattered another side window and were in and out of the store within minutes, again with about $18,000 in merchandise, Sabo said.

Sabo said the thieves made off with racks of sweat pants and tops, small and medium-sized boys’ and men’s shirts and bathing trunks, full-length wet suits that ranged from $150 to $190 and Australian-made sheepskin boots, normally worn after skiing or surfing, which cost $100. No women’s merchandise was stolen.

“It’s almost like they’re watching us and a week after we get all our merchandise back and restock, they hit us again,” he said. “It’s like they’re going shopping and stocking somebody else’s store with my stuff.”

After the second break-in, Sabo decided it was time to get serious and secure his store the best way he could, with sirens in the front and back of the store, a more sensitive alarm system and iron gates. Still, Sabo says he feels like he’s in the middle of a heavy crime area.

“I feel like I’m living in East L.A. with these things,” he said of the bars. “Crime down here just isn’t as bad as it is up there. These (preventive measures) shouldn’t be necessary.”

Surf shop break-ins are not uncommon in beach cities, officials said, but they usually occur around the spring and summer seasons and are mostly done by youths who want to make a quick profit or get free surfing equipment.

“The type of clothing that’s stolen is quite popular with the young crowd,” said Huntington Beach Detective Chuck Alquist. “They know they can get rid of it quite quickly.”

While no Huntington Beach surf shops have been burglarized in the past year, Alquist said stores are installing better security alarms. Even with an expensive alarm, O-Zone Surf & Skate in Newport was not safe from youths from Orange who stole surfboards, skateboards and T-shirts from the store.

“They’re pretty expensive for kids, and kids feel . . . they can rip it off for free and maybe sell it to their friends to make some kind of profit, said Mark Nutter, an employee at O-Zone.

In San Clemente, Stewart Sports store on South El Camino Real was burglarized of $2,000 in merchandise 3 weeks ago.

“We were kind of lucky because they could have cleaned us out if they wanted to,” said Dean Reynolds, the owner. “Our alarm didn’t go off because of complications, but I still think it (burglary) could have been avoided if there were more police patrolling at night,” he said.

The the city “has a small number of policemen on duty after the 12 or 1 a.m. shift.,” Reynolds said. “I think there are about three patrol cars out then. And with an alley right behind our store, things are bound to happen. I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”

Lt. Steve Bernardi said understaffing is a major problem for the police force. In the past 10 years, the city has added seven more officers, while the population has increased by 10,000, he said.

Currently, there are 46 police officers in the city with 35 on patrol duty, Bernardi said. In a city of more than 38,000 people, that’s about one officer per 10,000 people. Several of the patrol officers work overtime and many double shifts, he said.

“We still pride ourselves on our ability to respond to calls quickly, but we could get better if we had more officers,” Bernardi said.

This year the Police Department is requesting five additional officers, but City Manager James B. Hendrickson said a second paramedic unit would take priority with police, fire and additional services following close behind.

“The problem we find is that most people say they want the extra protection, but few want to pay the extra taxes for it,” Hendrickson said. “But we’re trying to do our best.”

For Sabo, the city’s best isn’t coming fast enough.

“I’m making a good business in this place and I’m jumping by leaps and bounds, but this can really pull me under,” Sabo said of the burglaries. “I’ve got my life savings invested in this and my house is in mortgage. I just can’t afford to let this fold, but if I get hit again I just may have to close my doors.”

San Clemente police said they have leads on the burglaries at Rocky’s Surf & Sport and Stewart Sports, and think the same thieves hit both.

“It’s like shoplifting. It happens during key times during the year,” said Bruce Best, manager at Rip Curl Surf Center on South El Camino Real at the end of town. “Right now, surfboards, wet suits and sunglasses are going to get stolen because everybody wants to go to the beach.”

Best said the store was robbed twice last year of about $2,000 in merchandise. “I’ve done everything but put a human being in here with a rifle,” he said. “I just hope that doesn’t become necessary.”