Police Target Crime Against Farm Workers

Police are cracking down on a series of armed robberies targeting mostly Latino farm workers. Strong-arm robberies of migrants typically pick up during summer as laborers come to the area in search of jobs. Workers are reporting about 10 robberies a week.

The robbers sometimes approach victims in cars, while others approach them on foot. They have assaulted laborers with clubs and baseball bats and threatened them with knives and guns.

One reason farm laborers are targeted is that the robbers know they get paid daily, Stockton Police Lt. George Lerner said. In addition, many are illegal immigrants, who are less likely than most people to report being victimized.