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Police suggest more ways to decrease auto burglaries
By BRENDA EVANS
With the local auto burglary average nearing four vehicle break-ins a day, police say there are certain things residents can do that may decrease the occurrence of car burglaries, a crime they say is easily preventable.
With grants from the Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority, the Pasadena Police Department Auto Theft Division is constantly looking for ways to decrease auto burglaries and vehicle thefts in Pasadena. Getting information out to the public is one of their best tools in achieving this goal.
Auto Theft Division detectives suggested keeping valuables out of sight, always taking keys and locking vehicle doors. Detectives also suggested being keenly aware of one’s surroundings and following gut instincts by leaving the area if if a scenario did not feel right. They also suggested urging businesses to improve lighting for public safety which includes acquiring security cameras.
“Finally,” said Auto Theft Division Sgt. James Anderson, “make auto burglaries as inconvenient as possible for these criminals.”
“There are stories around the holidays about people with packages and leaving them out,” said Detective D. Speights. “Citizens should treat every day like a holiday with their valuables. Lock your doors and roll up your windows. I know it’s hot here, but you can’t leave windows cracked. A lot of our criminals are getting into vehicles because your windows are cracked.”
“Criminals will always look for these cars that are easily accessible, first,” said Detective B. Marshall.
Documenting serial numbers is an important part, if not the most important part, of making auto burglaries inconvenient for criminals, Speights said.
“If you are going to add an after-market stereo, put TVs, screens or monitors into the vehicle,” he said, “document every serial number and have these numbers available so if the items are stolen, the serial numbers can be reported to the police and entered into the national crime computer as stolen articles.”
Marshall said police have access to a program called “Leads Online.”
“We can access Leads Online from our desks,” he said. “We can enter serial numbers, property description, or even a name of someone who we think might be pawning stolen property and we can see all their pawn tickets that they have there. Many times we are able to make a case from this information alone.”
Anderson said an item called a LoJack is also available to purchase for laptop computers.
“A laptop LoJack operates on the same principle as a stolen vehicle,” he said. “As soon as the laptop is reported as stolen, the sensor is activated and sends out a signal.”
Anderson said police have 20 units in Pasadena that are equipped with LoJack receptors.
“If we happen to come within a certain radius of that stolen laptop, it will (alert us) and we’ll be able to find it,” he said.
Although the work in the Auto Theft Division is laborious, Anderson said he is pleased with his unit’s success thus far. “Although the auto burglary rate has increased this past year,” he said, “we’ve arrested many criminals for auto burglary, including three different serial burglars that were targeting hundreds of vehicles county wide that we’ve taken off the street. We can only imagine what the auto burglary rate would be if we weren’t out there taking proactive measures to catch these criminals.”
“We don’t have enough (police) manpower to catch all of these criminals,” said Speights, “so our best bet in solving these crimes is always when citizens report them to us.”
Anderson agreed.
“Most of our cases are solved when someone gets a plate number or a very good description of the suspect or vehicle,” he said. “Then we can put this information out there to the public.”
With grants from the Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority, the Pasadena Police Department Auto Theft Division is constantly looking for ways to decrease auto burglaries and vehicle thefts in Pasadena. Getting information out to the public is one of their best tools in achieving this goal.
Auto Theft Division detectives suggested keeping valuables out of sight, always taking keys and locking vehicle doors. Detectives also suggested being keenly aware of one’s surroundings and following gut instincts by leaving the area if if a scenario did not feel right. They also suggested urging businesses to improve lighting for public safety which includes acquiring security cameras.
“Finally,” said Auto Theft Division Sgt. James Anderson, “make auto burglaries as inconvenient as possible for these criminals.”
“There are stories around the holidays about people with packages and leaving them out,” said Detective D. Speights. “Citizens should treat every day like a holiday with their valuables. Lock your doors and roll up your windows. I know it’s hot here, but you can’t leave windows cracked. A lot of our criminals are getting into vehicles because your windows are cracked.”
“Criminals will always look for these cars that are easily accessible, first,” said Detective B. Marshall.
Documenting serial numbers is an important part, if not the most important part, of making auto burglaries inconvenient for criminals, Speights said.
“If you are going to add an after-market stereo, put TVs, screens or monitors into the vehicle,” he said, “document every serial number and have these numbers available so if the items are stolen, the serial numbers can be reported to the police and entered into the national crime computer as stolen articles.”
Marshall said police have access to a program called “Leads Online.”
“We can access Leads Online from our desks,” he said. “We can enter serial numbers, property description, or even a name of someone who we think might be pawning stolen property and we can see all their pawn tickets that they have there. Many times we are able to make a case from this information alone.”
Anderson said an item called a LoJack is also available to purchase for laptop computers.
“A laptop LoJack operates on the same principle as a stolen vehicle,” he said. “As soon as the laptop is reported as stolen, the sensor is activated and sends out a signal.”
Anderson said police have 20 units in Pasadena that are equipped with LoJack receptors.
“If we happen to come within a certain radius of that stolen laptop, it will (alert us) and we’ll be able to find it,” he said.
Although the work in the Auto Theft Division is laborious, Anderson said he is pleased with his unit’s success thus far. “Although the auto burglary rate has increased this past year,” he said, “we’ve arrested many criminals for auto burglary, including three different serial burglars that were targeting hundreds of vehicles county wide that we’ve taken off the street. We can only imagine what the auto burglary rate would be if we weren’t out there taking proactive measures to catch these criminals.”
“We don’t have enough (police) manpower to catch all of these criminals,” said Speights, “so our best bet in solving these crimes is always when citizens report them to us.”
Anderson agreed.
“Most of our cases are solved when someone gets a plate number or a very good description of the suspect or vehicle,” he said. “Then we can put this information out there to the public.”
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