Temecula police credit ALPR and multi‑agency work for arrest of three suspects in series of residential burglaries

Captain Regali of the Riverside Sheriff’s Office told the Temecula City Council on Aug. 12 that a robbery/burglary suppression team investigation has identified and led to the arrest of three suspects in a series of residential burglaries targeting rear entries and sliding glass doors. He said investigators used automated license‑plate readers, surveillance footage, vehicle trackers and phone records during a multi‑month effort that yielded 25 search warrants and forensic evidence tying suspects to crimes in Temecula.

The captain said July produced just over 5,400 calls for service and highlighted response times for priority calls; he cautioned that a spike in reported “robbery” calls largely reflected false alarms from silent business alarms, and that only one of the 17 robbery‑coded calls was an actual robbery. “When you drill down to it, Temecula is a very, very safe city,” he said.

Regali described the investigative steps in detail: neighborhood canvasses, multilocation ALPR searches to identify a suspect vehicle, coordination with other agencies for surveillance and stops, processing the vehicle for forensic evidence, and downloading infotainment data to reveal travel patterns. That work, he said, enabled detectives to serve warrants and recover evidence linking suspects to the burglaries. He added that a felony settlement conference is scheduled later this year and the case remains active.

Council members praised the investigation. Council member Schwenk said the arrests demonstrate the value of investments in technology and investigative resources; Regali concurred, noting the collaboration with special teams, K‑9 units, aviation and outside agencies and the district attorney’s willingness to prosecute. No vote or formal action followed the report.

The sheriff’s office presentation did not provide final sentencing outcomes or arrest paperwork; Regali noted the case is pending in court.