New Airlift for Victims, Witnesses Is Aimed at Crooks Who Prey on Tourists

Police have a message for local crooks who prey on tourists: As of Dec. 1, no more freebies.

A new program, dubbed “Operation Flight Back,” has been instituted with the aim of bringing tourists back from as far away as Europe and the Orient to testify in criminal trials, even if all they lost was $25 and a pocketbook.

“The bad guys themselves told us about this,” said San Diego police spokesman Matt Weathersby. “They knew perfectly well that, once the tourists shipped out, there was no likelihood of bringing them back to testify for a minor rip-off. There was a little void in the system, and we couldn’t do anything.”

Now, with the cooperation of several major airlines, hotels and car-rental agencies, it will be possible to bring out-of-towners back to testify as victims or witnesses in even the smallest crimes.

Assistant Police Chief Norm Stamper and Dist. Atty. Edwin Miller unveiled the plan at a press conference Tuesday, designed as much to get the word out to the criminal element as to the rest of the public.

Thefts Near Border

Police and prosecutors are hoping that just the simple knowledge that they will be prosecuted for even the smallest crimes may deter crooks from preying on visitors--or at least prompt them to plead guilty, thus saving everyone time and trouble.

The idea originated with officer Joe Navarro, who works the city’s southern division, Weathersby said. Navarro took note of the large number of thefts occurring near the Mexican border, and also of the casual attitude of the criminals they apprehended, who knew their cases would not be prosecuted.

Properly alerted, Lt. Raymond Dobbs went to Los Angeles to look at a similar program at work in their international airport, and now, six months later, San Diego has a plan of its own.

Half a dozen airlines--including Air Canada, Korean Air, Japan Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Mexicana--have pledged to fly tourists back to San Diego free for court appearances, Weathersby said.

Several hotels have also offered free lodging and food, including the Holiday Inn in Mission Valley, San Diego Marriott, Town & Country Hotel, Sheraton Harbor Island, Doubletree Hotel, Vacation Inn, Embassy Suites, La Valencia, San Diego Princess, and the Hotel San Diego. Aztec and Budget car rental agencies have promised free transportation, and police are hoping to involve more businesses as the program gains momentum, Weathersby said.

“We had 33 million tourists who came to San Diego last year, . . . and there are three things that most of them have in common,” Weathersby said. “They have lots of money, they have lots of junk--cameras and things--and they are unfamiliar with the areas that they are in. They’re easy pickings.”

The district attorney’s office, he said, has always gone to great lengths to bring back victims and witnesses for serious crimes such as homicides and robberies, but property crimes such as car burglaries and purse-snatchings have often fallen through the cracks.

“We had to look at the realities,” Weathersby said. “Let’s say a couple comes into San Diego from New York, and someone breaks into their motor home and steals $1,000.

“How much is it going to cost to bring them back from New York? Nowadays, it’s at least $800 for air fare for one person. Add hotel accommodations, a rental car and food, and it’s a potential $2,000 just to prosecute.”