Thieves in San Francisco use water for break-ins

SAN FRANCISCO (NBC, KYMA) - Thieves in San Francisco are using an unexpected tool to carry out their crime: water.

Many apartment buildings in the city have call boxes at their entrances so tenants can buzz people in.

Police say thieves are now spraying those boxes with water, which sometimes completes a circuit inside the box causing the front door to unlock.

The bad guys then go inside the lobby to steal packages that have been delivered for tenants.

A number of apartment call boxes are out of service on this street in the city's Marina District.

A San Francisco security company owner says his security company has been dealing with this tactic for about two years and is now repairing dozens of water-damaged call boxes in San Francisco every month.

He does point out that this trick doesn't work most of the time.

San Francisco police say they're not seeing an uptick in these types of incidents citywide.