Acting Senior Lead Officer for the Brentwood Area Officer Brian Espin, recently issued a community alert, noting that there has been a significant increase in residential burglaries from Granville Avenue East to Barrington Avenue, and San Vicente Boulevard North to Sunset Boulevard ( reporting district 827).
Officer Espin is urging residents to be vigilant and to ensure all valuables are locked and secured.
A common MO that has been occurring is suspects knock or ring the doorbell to verify if the resident is home. When there is no answer, the suspects enter the side or rear of the residence and force entry by smashing the window or door glass to gain entry. Suspects are targeting the master bed and bath as well as other areas of the home and removing Jewelry and small electronics.
The Los Angeles Police Department recommends the following tips to help secure your home and harden the target.
ALARMS: Ensure that security alarms are in good working order and set when not at home whether leaving for 10 minutes or 10 hours.
ALARM RESPONSE: Consider a private patrol alarm response to enhance your current alarm and security system. In many cases private patrols are already contracted in many neighborhoods or associations.
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS: Web based surveillance camera systems will allow homeowners to view and monitor activity from any smartphone or computer which are motion sensor activated and will alert your device when there is activity. They also lend valuable information and clues to the investigation.
MOTION SENSOR LIGHTING: Install motion sensor lighting around your home to illuminate normally dark areas around the home. This will also alert residents to outside activity around the home when motion lights are activated.
GATES: Ensure that all gates and access points to the side or rear of the residence are locked and secured.
DOOR AND WINDOW LOCKS: Ensure that all doors and windows are locked and secured with sturdy secured locks and that there are second locking mechanisms securing all doors and windows as a second line of defense.
MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU’RE HOME…Even when you’re not.
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: Monitor suspicious activities in your neighborhood and alert your neighbors. Should the activity escalate to a crime about to occur, crime in progress or crime that just occurred, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY!
SECURITY PATROLS: Consider after hours on site security at construction sites or major remodel projects. Many neighborhoods contract with private security patrols which monitor neighborhoods and can quickly respond to burglar alarm activations or reports of suspicious activity when they occur.
In addition, Officer Espin noted that the Brentwood area is still a prime location for auto related crimes because of the high density of vehicles. Residents are being asked to not leave any valuables in their vehicles.
Espin said, “The trend we have seen are suspects entering carports or garage/parking structures where they are hidden from the street. The suspects are looking for anything they think might have value. Even if it is an empty backpack in the back seat. To the suspect this could be a laptop or another valuable item.”
For questions or concerns, you can contact Officer Espin at 310.444.0730, or email: 37430@lapd.online.
