by Carolyn Seitz
cmseitz@mindspring.com
Below you'll find three pages of crime statistics most of you are now accustomed to seeing. The first is the page that shows you how Altadena Station's stats compared to all of the other areas served by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for the first 11 months of 2011, and for purposes of comparison, how our current crime rates vary from 2006 and 2010. The second page shows you a breakdown of all Part I crimes for Altadena for 2006, 2010 and the current year, through November 30, 2011, and the third pages shows you the crime stats for the same period for both Part I crime and Property crimes.
Those of you who have been reading these stats for a year or so were aware that for the period of time which began toward the end of 2010 and continuing through most of 2011, Altadena showed the greatest reduction in Part I crimes of any sheriff's department area. That happened because of the dedicated deputies and detectives at Altadena Station and the captain, lieutenants and sergeants who took what had been a monumental increase in residential burglaries and thefts from vehicles very seriously. Over a period of about a year to a year and a half, the hard work done by the Altadena Sheriff's Station got a good grip on those crimes, and the result is what you see today. We aren't seeing a 49% or 39% reduction in these crimes any longer as we've been catching up to the initial big reductions that showed up in the stats about 15 months ago.
The last two months, Altadena has had the second largest reduction in Part I crimes, and in both instances, it was the Avalon Station that experienced the biggest reduction.
One major element that contributed to the big reduction in these crimes is you, the members of the Altadena Community and the way you all stepped up to report suspicious activity, your willingness to report any and every form of unusual behavior and the fact that you've all kept such a close watch over your neighbors.
This year, we caught many burglars in the act and there is no better way to get a conviction than to catch someone in the act. Believe it or not, it can be very difficult to get the District Attorney to file charges when someone is arrested "merely" in possession of property which was reported stolen. Any excuse for why a suspect has stolen merchandise seems to fly. A suspect was caught in a vehicle which had been reported stolen and that vehicle was full of stuff reported stolen by many victims, but even then, the suspect pretty much walked away free because the owner of the vehicle reported stolen refused to sign the complaint.
Despite all of the difficulties it can be to successfully prosecute someone, the men and women who serve this community and work to keep us safe have been doing a great job, but that's no reason to be complacent.
Crime rates usually rise during the holiday season, so please remember to lock your doors and windows; keep wrapped packages away from your Christmas tree if your tree is beautifully displayed in a large picture window. When out shopping, please keep your packages and parcels locked in the trunk, out of sight. Stay safe when walking to your vehicle in the dark and stay aware of your surroundings.
Please stay safe and know that the California Highway Patrol, working with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and other law enforcement agencies is also on Maximum Enforcement for Drunk Driving. Drunk driving checkpoints are scheduled around the County from last Friday, December 16th through Tuesday, January 2, 2012.
Stay safe and please remember to report suspicious, odd or unusual activity in your neighborhood. Please remember to call the Station at 626 798 1131 and give the person who answers the phone as much information as you have - including a description - male, female, approximate age, approximate height, clothing description, and anything else you can safely observe. Please be to answer the person knocking on the door - but you don't have to open the door. Just let the person knocking know that someone is in your home and ask your children who may be home alone to do the same. If it is a stranger at the door, please call the Sheriff's Station. That's one way we've been catching criminals. Not all door knockers are criminals, but better to be safe than sorry and find out the hard way that the one time you didn't call was the very time that person visited your neighbor who wasn't home, knocked, got no response, and then made entry through the side or rear of their home.
Please take good care of yourselves and your neighbors. Together, we're a strong community.
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