UC Berkeley police chief had only herself to blame for stolen gun, experts say

UC Berkeley Police Chief Margo Bennett had her gun, badge, ammunition and other items stolen during a car burglary at Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Richmond. UC Berkeley Police Chief Margo Bennett had her gun, badge, ammunition and other items stolen during a car burglary at Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Richmond. Photo: UC Berkeley Photo: UC Berkeley Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close UC Berkeley police chief had only herself to blame for stolen gun, experts say 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Determined to set the record straight, UC Berkeley Police Chief Margo Bennett sent a mass internal e-mail this week detailing what happened when several valuables, including her department gun, were recently stolen from her vehicle at the Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Richmond.

She admits, 'in retrospect,' that perhaps she shouldn't have stored her black computer bag, containing her department gun, badge, laptop and iPad, in the darkly-tinted 'back cargo area' of her Ford Escape.

"I should have taken my gun and badge and put them in the spare tire well," she wrote.

Bennett said she met her running partner at 7:35 a.m and returned to the vehicle at 8:15 a.m. to find the window behind the driver's seat smashed. Her gym bag, which had been visible, was stolen as well as the computer bag full of valuables.

Since the August 21 car burglary, Bennett wrote that "some folks" have told her the area is "fraught with auto burglaries."

But also said she had been running at Point Isabel for over a year and a half and had never seen "any problems in the area" before.

"I feel terrible about the loss of department equipment and I am heartsick over the loss of irreplaceable personal items," she wrote.

Other items stolen included a diamond ring and her cell phone.

Police practice experts told the Chronicle that Bennett has only herself to blame for leaving the gun unsecured in the SUV.

The theft is part of a troubling trend of car burglars stealing Bay Area law enforcement guns, sparking discussion if these officials are doing enough to protect their weapons.

Read the full report on sfchronicle.com.