by Lt. Joseph Dempsey
Altadena Sheriff Station
The Sheriff’s Department recently released crime statistics for the entire department. I have broken down the 100 page document to three pages of interest for Altadena Station. The first page is the overall crime statistics for Part 1 crimes. The second and third pages are the Burglary and Larceny crime statistics for Altadena Station.
Below is a link to the entire report:
http://file.lacounty.gov/lasd/cms1_148405.pdf
As always we encourage residents to be mindful of their neighborhoods and report and suspicious activity to the Altadena Sheriff’s Station at 626-798-1131. In the event of an emergency please call 911.
(Details and more after the jump.)
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Home burglary prevention safety tips:
1. Get to know your neighbors. Exchange names, phone numbers, emails, and other information that makes your neighborhood become closer as friends and neighbors. Consider starting a Neighborhood Watch group on your street.
2. Write down the license plate numbers and descriptions of strange vehicles and their occupants. Make a note of the time and day the vehicle was parked on your street.
3. Leave a light or stereo/TV on or use a timer for your lights if you will be away for a full day or longer.
3. Put a secondary lock on all windows.
4. Get and close heavy drapes -- especially on rooms where there is expensive equipment. Thin, sheer drapes allow burglars to look inside.
5. Install a peephole on all exterior doors. You’ll be able to see outside without opening the door.
6. Safety coat or frost all garage windows. Don’t let criminals see when your car is gone.
7. Make sure your garage side door is made of solid-core wood, reinforced steel, or fiberglass, and has a deadbolt lock. Padlock the throw-hatch on your garage do when you’re out of town and invest in a keychain remote opener.
8. Remove shrubs and trees from in front of windows so they can't hide possible intruders. Keep shrubs trimmed low.
9. Plant rosebushes or other thorny landscaping in front of all vulnerable windows. This makes getting close to such windows practically impossible.
10. Get a dog. A barking dog, whether inside the house or in the yard is the best deterrent to burglars.
11. Install motion detectors in areas where no one should be. This way, you know something isn't right when they go off.
12. Consider installing a security system. These systems are fairly inexpensive to put in.
13. Have the post office hold your mail while you are on vacation. As an alternative, ask one of your neighbors to bring in your mail and newspapers. Do not leave mail in your mail box to be picked up later. Take it to the post office or hand it personally to the mailman.
14. Identify your valuables by engraving your drivers’ license number.
15. Photograph and record the serial numbers of all valuables.
16. Photocopy the contents of your wallet and other documents.
17. Store the copies in a safe deposit box or with a relative
18. Hide spare keys in less obvious places.
20. Pretend to be a burglar. Walk around your property and ask yourself: How would I break in? Examine your house from the street, where are the blind spots? What are the most vulnerable areas? Stand outside the windows and look in, make sure no valuables are visible. Most burglaries occur during the day through the back and side doors when you are away.
