Crime

Neighborhood Watch Update Meeting with Officer Sue Shine

The Glendale Police Department will be hosting a Crime Prevention and Neighborhood Watch Update Meeting at Joe Bridges Clubhouse at Glenoaks Park on Monday, October 14, 2013 beginning at 6:30PM. Our Area Commander, Tim Feeley will join us and provide his insight on trends and answer questions.

You may RSVP to Officer Shine at:sshine@ci.glendale.ca.us

Fraud Warning: Be Aware of Phone Scams

One of our canyon neighbors was recently the victim of fraud. She received a phone call from someone who identified himself as her grandson. He claimed that he was imprisoned in the Dominican Republic and needed money. Our neighbor was given the phone number of the American Embassy in the Dominican Republic and the person she spoke to was able to verify the story. She then called Western Union to make arrangements to wire her grandson the bail money. Western Union tried to dissuade her from sending money, saying that there had been many reports of criminal activity in the Dominican Republic. However, despite this warning and due to concern for her grandson, she went ahead and sent the money. Later, when she learned from family members that her grandson was ok, she contacted the Glendale Police Department and learned that many in Glendale are being victimized in this manner. Fortunately for our neighbor, her grandson is safe, but, unfortunately, she lost the money that she sent through Western Union. She is hoping, though, that her warning to you can prevent further occurrences.

Neighbors, be careful out there!

Mail Thefts Still a Cause for Concern

Although a majority of the thefts have been in Chevy Chase Canyon, it is still important for us to be aware and vigilant as well.

For many months, we have been experiencing late night thefts from mailboxes in the Chevy Chase Canyon area. The mailboxes are at the curb and the area is more remote and, therefore was targeted regularly along with adjoining areas in La Canada and La Crescenta. This trend has widened and now Glendale PD is receiving reports of thefts of mail in boxes attached to homes as far west as Valley View. Some apartment buildings are victims as crooks make entry into the lobby and the boxes as well. What the thieves are seeking is a means to steal your identity. This information is more accessible than you think. Every credit card application and those weekly blank checks to the accounts you do have sent to you are easy to complete and with a little more digging, they can get all kinds of things shipped to them at your expense.

  • Please alert neighbors to the activity and notify apartment managers
  • If there are folks on your street that keep later hours, let them know in order to have eyes out for suspicious cars late at night
  • Retrieve your mail as soon as practical and do the same for neighbors if you have opposing schedules
  • Locking mailboxes may deter some theft, but some crooks carry pry tools.
  • Remember to remove any package deliveries from the porch immediately and do the same for neighbors

The USPS has an 800 number on their website to report mail theft. If, however, you witness suspicious behavior or are certain of a theft, inform the Post Office, but also report it with the Glendale Police Department (818) 548-4841 to request an officer respond to take a report, if a crime has been committed. The Glendale police have been actively stopping and searching suspicious vehicles and pedestrians and have made a recent arrest of a prolific mail thief with prior arrests for the same behavior. Patrol officers have been alerted to the trend and will continue to be vigilant.

As with all criminal behavior, it is best to report all suspicious activity and continue to remove opportunity from the thieves. Remove items from your car and lock it. Illuminate your home and make it a hard target. Don’t be so distracted by your shopping to be careless. Watch where you are walking to and from and make eye contact with all you encounter. Don’t act like a victim and it is much less likely you will be a victim!

Have  safe and happy holidays!

Neighborhood Watch Training and Info Session Tuesday 8/21

There will be a Neighborhood Watch training and information session next Tuesday, August 21 from 6:30 to 8:00pm at the Joe Bridges Clubhouse in Glenoaks Park. Everyone is welcome to attend. Officer Sue Shine of the Glendale Police Department will be presenting information that will help make our community safer and an even nicer place to live.

Canyon Sees More Auto Break-Ins

On June 10-11 in the overnight hours, we had multiple vehicles broken into via smashed windows and some unlocked doors.  This spree took place on Eat Glenoaks, Hollister, and Scholl.  In many cases, victims reported losing the usual items: GPS, iPods, sunglasses.  In others, the garage remote was taken.  Please remove ALL ITEMS of value including your remotes every night and lock the doors.  When possible, installing a motion light near the parking area may help.  The individuals will keep coming back when they need more loot for their dope habit, so any night owls would be useful in keeping an extra eye out for any movement on the street.

 

 

New Glendale Crime Trends Bulletin

The Glendale Police Department has begun putting out a regular bulletin outlining some of the crime trends going on in our city. Glendale Police Chief Ron DePampa (rdepompa@ci.glendale.ca.us) attributes the increased crime in the city to the release of "realigned" felons into the community. These felons are considered by the state to be lowrisk offenders: non-violent, non-serious, and non-high risk sex offenders. But, the reality is that these felons are also career criminals: five felony convictions already, 56% have mental health issues, 56% have substance abuse issues and re-offenders with a 70% recidivism rate. It is estimated that the state will be releasing 55,000 of these felons by the end of 2012. To read more about this problem and how it affects our city and neighborhood, read the full bulletin here:

http://www.ci.glendale.ca.us/police/pdfs/crimetrends/crimetrendscrimetrends_1qtr2012.pdf

If you would like to subscribe to the Crime Trends Bulletin, a sign up form (name and email address) can be found here:

http://www.ci.glendale.ca.us/police/crimetrends/signup.asp

Be safe and vigilant out there and report anything suspicious you see in the canyon.

Neighborhood Watch Tips

Here are some great tips that were posted by one of our canyon residents:

  • Keep doors and windows locked
  • Use an alarm system
  • Trim bushes and shrubs lower that hide windows
  • Install motion metector lights
  • Get outside and open curtains to better see what's going on
  • Lock up good when you leave home, most crimes are when you have left your house
  • Don't answer the door without checking to see who it is
  • Don't allow strangers into your house
  • Put up signs indicating dog, dog paraphanelia, or have dog
  • Secure the rear of your house as you do the front of your house
  • Don't depend on one safety system
  • Ask neighbors to watch for suspicious activity, or watch out for you
  • Watch for unusual cars hanging around for days
  • Log all serialized property and photograph all jewelry and store family valuables off-site
  • Don't telegraph behavior with set routine
  • Leave lights on and radio on when gone, you could put radio on timer
  • Close and lock garage doors
  • Lock up tools that could be used to break into your home (ladder, etc.)
  • Be alert
  • Don't try to stop or apprehend a person committing a crime - call 911
  • Don't investigate suspicious activity - call 911

For non-emergencies call Glendale PD at (818) 548-4911

For suspicious vehicles, GPD needs make, model, color, AND LICENSE PLATE #. Also special features like bumper damage, bondo, peeling paint, custom paint job and tell dispatch the direction the car is traveling.

For suspicious people GPD needs as much detail as possible dark skin, light skin, hair color, height and weight approximated AND what they are wearing.

Other resources: Crimemapping.com for up to the minute crimes in our area. lacrimestoppers.com (tip line) 818 507-STOP & 800 222-tips (anonymous tip line) TIPLA@2744637 for texting

Neighborhood Watch Meeting Tonight - March 1, 2012

There is a Special Meeting tonight hosted by Glenoaks Canyon Homeowners Association (GOCHA) and the Glenoaks Canyon Neighborhood Watch and presented by the Glendale Police Department. The meeting is tonight, Thursday, March 1st from 6:30pm - 8:00pm at the Joe Bridges Clubhouse in Glenoaks Park.

Please join us and your neighbors and learn how you can protect yourself and help make our canyon a safer neighborhood for all of us at this important meeting.

Click here for more information.