Thieves rip off 25 license plates in one San Leandro neighborhood

License plates from 25 vehicles, including this Ford SUV, have been reported in San Leandro in a little more than a week, police said. License plates from 25 vehicles, including this Ford SUV, have been reported in San Leandro in a little more than a week, police said. Photo: Courtesy San Leandro Police Department / Courtesy San Leandro Police Department Photo: Courtesy San Leandro Police Department / Courtesy San Leandro Police Department Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Thieves rip off 25 license plates in one San Leandro neighborhood 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

License plate thieves are out in force in San Leandro, police said Monday.

In the East Bay city’s Broadmoor neighborhood, 25 stolen plates have been reported off cars parked in residential neighborhoods in a little more than one week, according to the San Leandro Police Department.

They were stolen off cars parked on several streets, including Bancroft, Begier and Haas avenues.

The plate thefts — which have puzzled police — started Jan. 21 under the cover of darkness, police said.

“We don’t know why anyone would steal this many license plates,” said Lt. Robert McManus, a spokesman for the department.

Thieves could be using or selling them as novelty items, or as art, or else attaching them to other cars used in crimes, “hoping to avoid being identified by detectives and escape capture,” McManus said.

Stolen plates, though, are reported to a nationwide database that tracks them. Patrol cars equipped with scanning technology will alert an officer when a stolen plate is detected, McManus said.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley