Newport Beach Police Chief Recounts ‘More Crooks on the Street’

The Corona del Mar State Beach in Newport Beach, Calif., on April 25, 2020. Michael Heiman/Getty Images

Newport Beach’s top cop says that while crime remains low in the coastal city, police have seen an upswing in thefts.

“We had frankly more crooks on the street,” Police Chief Jon Lewis said during a Feb. 18 Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce meeting. “They were taking advantage of these opportunities here.”