Chief Kepley Addresses Recent Burglaries

PVE Residents:

While our community continues to be safe and your Police Department is continually working to prevent and respond to crimes, you may be interested to know that on November 9, 2015, five homes in our city were burglarized. We want to keep you informed. In nearly every case the suspects entered the rear yard and smashed out a rear window (one had the front windows smashed). The suspect(s) made entry at a few homes, with alarms being activated in all but one. PVEPD officers responded with lights & sirens, and used the LASD helicopter, so if our residents saw or heard this police activity and wondered what was going on – the police department was responding to in-progress residential burglary calls. No suspects were located at any of the locations, so these burglars were either scared away by the alarms or made very quick entries before fleeing prior to police arrival. In one case, the residents were in the home at the time of the window smash burglary attempt. No one was injured and there were no items ultimately reported stolen. Anyone with further information, video camera surveillance, etc. is urged to contact PVEPD.

We must all exercise Crime Prevention techniques such as locking side gates, using alarm systems, motion sensor lights, trimming back shrubbery away from windows, etc. Deterrents work. I also encourage residents to join Neighborhood Watch to work with neighbors to observe and report suspicious persons or activity (www.pvenw.org). Please know that your police department has been combating property crime increasing by dedicating extra patrol officers to residential areas, both uniformed and plain clothed officers. We will also be introducing Anti-Theft Dots, a property identification and recovery product to be announced soon on our website.

This specific crime spree is unusual in that so many incidents occurred in such a short time frame. It is not clear whether this is the work of a single burglar or single crew, or multiple crews. The following is a recap of the affected areas:

November 9, 2015
6:22 pm – 2600 Via Campesina
6:41 pm – 800 Via Del Monte
7:52 pm – 1500 Via Castilla
8:21 pm – 1400 Paseo Del Mar
9:45 pm – 3200 Paseo Del Campo

Please be vigilant about observing our neighborhoods and reporting suspicious activity by calling PVEPD at 310-378-4211, or 9-1-1 if there may be an in-progress crime.

Your police department staff is dedicated to your safety. Please do not hesitate to call me or Community Relations/Crime Prevention Officer Marcelle McCullough should you have any questions about these incidents, crime prevention, or home security.

Please view the attached crime bulletin that includes pictures of the suspects caught on residential security cameras.