Oakland California making Chicago jealous.

Reporter’s purse swiped from TV truck – near police HQ

It’s happened again. Another reporter has been victimized by criminals in Oakland, only this one takes the cake.

KTVU reporter/anchor Heather Holmes had her purse stolen from a TV truck on Monday night — while she and a camera operator were parked near Oakland police headquarters. The subject of her live report? A violent daylight robbery of a woman in North Oakland.

Holmes and a photographer were standing near the corner of 7th Street and Broadway in the city’s downtown for their report. Their van wasn’t locked, because the crew had only recently arrived at the corner, and the vehicle was only steps away. Someone used Holmes’ bank card at a nearby Chevron gas station on Castro Street within 20 minutes of the theft.

Holmes’ story about a woman being mugged at 48th Street and Shattuck Avenue led the 10 p.m. newscast. She reported on an incident in which Good Samaritans came to the aid of a woman who was attacked and robbed. The segment included video showing the bloodied woman being taken into an ambulance.

KTVU has previously fallen prey to thieves. In March, scofflaws stole camera equipment from a parked van in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood.

The episodes are the latest in a spate of holdups and burglaries targeting the media in Oakland, some in the middle of the day. In one incident, a robber grabbed a camera that was being used for a live noon broadcast.

In response, several TV stations, including KPIX, KRON and KGO, have hired security guards to accompany reporters and camera operators in Oakland. Many of the guards are retired police officers.

KTVU does not automatically send security guards out with its crews, but employees who are concerned about their safety can request the escorts, several KTVU staffers said.

Guards have been known to accompany TV crews to news conferences where police officers are arguably present in large numbers.

But this is probably the first incident in recent memory in which journalists have reported being victimized right outside Oakland police headquarters.