Some Pacific Palisades residents feel that it is no longer safe to park their vehicles on the street, and there is some justification for their fears. From November 26 through December 25, there were 42 reported crimes in the community and 26 of them were related to cars–burglary/theft from vehicle (BTFV), vandalism and a stolen vehicle. ‘Normally that area [Palisades] has been quiet. We recognize that there has been an increase, but it is modest compared to other areas,’ Lieutenant Ray Lombardo told the Palisadian-Post on Wednesday. He said there were a total of 1,912 BTFVs in the entire West Los Angeles Division in 2007. Lombardo added that these thefts are more likely to occur in dense population areas in West L.A., where a criminal has access to numerous vehicles on streets like San Vicente, Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevard. BTFVs are less likely in a neighborhood area like the Palisades. Lombardo reminded residents, ‘Don’t leave anything of value in the car, especially small electronic devices like iPod’s and GPS systems. Take them into your house or put them in the trunk of your car.’ According to Lombardo, 60 to 65 percent of people who commit BTFVs have a drug habit. They break a window, steal a valuable and sell it. Professionals account for 30 to 35 percent of car burglaries. ‘It’s the toughest crime for LAPD to solve,’ Lombardo said, ‘because it usually happens at night when there are no witnesses.’ Typical is the December 6 entry on Northfield Avenue: ‘The suspect smashed the passenger window of the victim’s Mazda, but did not take any property. The vehicle was parked on the street.’ Then there was the report from Alcima Avenue on December 21: ‘The suspect smashed the driver-side window of victim’s Honda and took an iPod. The vehicle was parked on the street.’ When relatives staying at the Greg Satz home in the Alcima area awoke last Friday morning, they discovered that their car window had been broken and their GPS system and a jacket had been stolen from the car. ‘It’s not pleasant.’ Satz told the Post on Monday. ‘Four cars on Alcima and one on Las Lomas were broken into on December 27.’ He said that neighbors heard a noise around 12:30 a.m., but no one had seen anybody committing the crime. Police took fingerprints. Nancy Kennedy, who lives in the Marquez Knollss area, was distressed to find that her car had been vandalized on December 21. ‘My rear window was completely smashed,’ she said. A brick had been thrown through the rear window with such force that it hit the front window, causing a large spider-web crack on the passenger side. Kennedy discovered that she wasn’t the only one on the block to have damage. ‘A brick was thrown at another car down the street, and destroyed the driver-side mirror and smashed the driver’s side window,’ she said. ‘A lawn further down the street had bricks on it.’ When Kennedy filed a crime report, she had suspicions about what may have happened, but reported ‘nobody saw anything.’ ‘A car burglar would not use a bat or a brick,’ Lombardo said. ‘That is vandalism and is more likely to have been committed by someone from the neighborhood.’ ‘We do not have any leads at this time,’ Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore said. According to Los Angeles Police Detective Householder, ‘Patrols have been increased in the area and undercover units have also been deployed.’ If anyone has any information, like a license plate number or has witnessed a vehicle leaving the areas, please call (310) 444-1505. If you see a crime being committed, call 911. If you have been a victim of a crime, call the West LAPD front desk at (310) 444-0701.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
