BURGLARIES — 1
March 18: 2100 block of McCrae Drive – between 6:20 a.m. and 4:10 p.m. Unknown suspect entered through window, ransacked the location and exited the side door to the garage. Prints have been requested. Property stolen: a laptop and a guitar.
Senior Lead Officer Melody Shortle advises: “Please always lock your windows and secure them when you leave your home — even for just a few minutes.”
VEHICLE BREAK-IN THEFTS — 6
January 22: 1600 block of W. 27th St. – 1:55 a.m.
February 4: 2200 block of W. 25th St. – 10:30 a.m.
February 14: 2100 block of Grandeur Dr. – 2:22 a.m.
March 18: 1700 block of Vallecito Dr. – 5:00 p.m.
March 19: 2200 block of Paseo del Mar – 2:00 p.m.
March 30: Western Ave. and Paseo del Mar – 3:25 p.m.
ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON — 1
March 18: 2200 block of W. 37th St. – 8:25 p.m.
SHOPLIFTING — 1
January 17: Corner of 25th and Western Ave. (Smart and Final) – 3:30 p.m.
GENERAL
Now in its 10th year, CyberWatch continues to look at South Shores crime history and learn from its trends. We’ve also learned from the patterns of various crimes.
One take-away from a current trend: More people at home during Covid has resulted in fewer home burglaries and more thefts from vehicles. We need to be extra careful with cars left on the street or in driveways. “Lock it or Lose It” has never been more relevant.
As in the past, not all car break-ins are reported to the police. This list is just the “tip of the iceberg”. Every night of the week, thieves stroll down our streets checking for unlocked car doors, even in your driveway.
Best theft prevention: Leave nothing of value in your car when it’s unattended, particularly overnight. File a police report for all thefts. The more reports received by Harbor LAPD, the more regular patrols are assigned to that area.
Another interesting pattern about home burglaries: South Shores has had nearly 60 home burglaries in the past nine years. Year One was a doozy with 17 burglaries. That nightmare of 2013 provided the impetus to start CyberWatch. Since then, the average has run between three and five burglaries per year.
That nine-year history shows us an interesting fact: 92% of break-ins occurred in homes with no security signage. Makes sense. Burglars have a choice. They can either break into a house that says it’s protected or one that doesn’t say anything. More and more neighbors have opted for some kind of security protection like ADT, Peninsula Security, Secure America, or camera surveillance like Ring Doorbell, SimpliSafe, or Next — all good options.
Also, thanks to the continued vigilance of 612 CyberWatch members, South Shores continues to be one of the safest communities in the entire South Bay.
SEE SOMETHING. SAY SOMETHING.
