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Cerritos Crime Summary March 12-18, 2012


Cerritos Sheriff’s Station personnel investigated 23 Part I felony crimes last week, down from 26 the previous reporting period. Increases were noted in robberies, commercial burglaries, and vehicle burglaries. Residential burglaries and vehicle thefts were down. Patrol deputies handled 315 calls for service last week, up from 260 the week before. The 2012 weekly average in calls for service is 255.

After two weeks without a robbery, two were logged last week. A lone male entered a bank in the 11300 block of South Street on Wednesday March 14 at 3:39 p.m. and advised a teller that he had a gun. The suspect fled on foot. On Thursday March 15 at 9:20 p.m. a male robbed a fast-food restaurant in the 12500 block of South Street.

Residential burglaries dropped from four to two last week. An open/unlocked door or window was the entry point in one of the two. A side garage door was kicked in at the other crime scene. Jewelry, coins, a TV, laptop computers, and a safe were taken. The 2012 weekly average in residential burglaries is now 4.9.

There have been past reports where safes are taken from residences that were easily portable and had not been properly secured. If you choose to use this method of safekeeping property, make sure that the receptacle is firmly bolted into a foundation such as concrete, or connected to a structure support where prying it off is impossible. We recommend that you consult with a professional contractor before installation, but suggest that you use a safe deposit box at your banking institution to better protect these vital documents.

One commercial burglary was investigated last week. A front door on a closed business was pried open, but no loss could be determined. The 2012 weekly average in commercial burglaries is now 1.2.

Vehicle burglaries rose from seven to nine last week. High-volume commercial parking lots were the locations in seven, and seven SUVs were targeted. Third-row seats (from SUVs), printers, computers, purses, tools, laptop computers, and cameras were among the missing items. The 2012 weekly average in vehicle burglaries is 6.1.

We have seen an increase in vehicle burglaries in parks where the drivers have left purses, wallets, etc., in the passenger compartment of the vehicles and walked away to engage in physical activities. One possibility is that the drivers are being watched from a distance as they attempt to place these items under a seat or in the rear of the vehicle. We recommend that you leave these items at home and only carry your phone, keys, ID, and water if you plan to walk the track or exercise otherwise. We make the same recommendation for fitness center parking lots.

Vehicle thefts dropped from eight to two. High-volume commercial parking lots were the locations in both cases last week. Two Hondas were stolen. Our 2012 weekly average in vehicle thefts is now 4.7.

It is very important that you use some form of an anti-theft device to retain your vehicle. Visible deterrents, such as a steering wheel locking device, are the most obvious and tell the would-be thief to look elsewhere. These are important especially of you own one of the two most stolen makes in California, which are 80’s and 90’s Honda and Toyota products, or SUVs.

Go to www.safercerritos.com for an extensive library of crime prevention tips, disaster preparedness information, and a variety of links to other pertinent sites.