Please protect us from ourselves!

So, if you live in Manteca you better not warm up your car! You could get a $50 ticket for doing so if the Manteca police chief, Charlie Halford, has his way.

The police chief was quoted saying, "Our auto theft rate has increased 60 percent as compared to last year," Halford said. "So far this year, we've had just under 800 cars stolen as of the end of November."

I wonder if Manteca is experiencing an extremely cold year compared to last year for the rates to increase so much? Or maybe there are just more thieves moving into an area where the policing is weak at best.

Charlie should try barking up a different tree, woof!