Residential burglaries have been one of the main issues that West District personnel have been working to address this year. Earlier in the year, our residential burglary numbers in the West District were up (compared to 2013), particularly in a focused geographic area (along the Raymond Road corridor). District personnel have continued to dedicate a great deal of time and effort to investigating burglaries that have occurred and to preventing future burglaries. Over the last few months, we have made eight arrests for residential burglaries, with some of the suspects being tied to multiple burglaries or burglary-related offenses. Most of those arrested were juveniles.
We have also worked to prevent future burglaries, sharing prevention information with the public and going door-to-door in the immediate area where burglaries have occurred. The last two month have shown some improvements, and district-wide residential burglary incidents are consistent with what they were in 2013. Please remember that some simple prevention steps can go a long way towards reducing your chances of being victimized:
- Keep your doors and windows locked, even while at home.
- Keep your garage door closed, and lock any door from the garage to the interior of your home. Many burglaries this year have involved access through an open garage door.
- Keep the exterior of your home well illuminated. Consider motion detecting lights as well.
- Leave interior lights on when you're gone; consider using a timer to turn them on and off. Also consider leaving a radio or TV on so it appears someone is home.
- Keep a good inventory of your valuables, including serial numbers and model numbers. This information is critical for effective follow up on a burglary.