Residential Burglary
Tips to help prevent a burglary
Don’t leave your garage door open. This advertises your belongings to anyone passing by. A thief may have quick access at the time the door is open, but also now has an inventory of things to take later when you are not home.
Don’t position your television, computer, or game console within view of an open window.
If you need to discard boxes or packaging from expensive gifts or purchases, please don’t leave them sticking out of your garbage can. It advertises to others the nice, new things you may have inside your home. Cut the boxes into pieces that will fit inside of your garbage cans and spread the pieces out over several weeks if necessary.
Keep an eye out for potential burglars in your neighborhood.
Watch for these common burglary tactics used in our community
1) The burglars knock on front doors in an area. If no one answers, they enter the rear yard and break into the house. They may also knock on the doors of adjacent homes to make sure there are no witnesses to them entering the house they chose.
2) Burglars sometimes conduct door-to-door solicitations to obtain information on which homes to burglarize. These are the common scams:
a] The burglar (or someone working for the burglar) knocks on your door and attempts to sell you a product. They give you a long story about how they are raising money for school or for some type of educational trip. Most times the solicitors only have the display product with them. If you want to buy the product, they offer to return at a later time (specified by them). Many residents do not recognize this tactic and tell the solicitor that they will not be home at the time specified. Guess what time the thief will come back to burglarize your home?
*Although schools do have fundraisers, they discourage door to door sales.
*Anyone selling a product within Lakewood must have a solicitors’ license. Ask to see it!
b] Burglars pose as employees of an alarm company. They knock on your door and say they need to check your alarm system. If you have displayed an alarm sign or decal, guess what company they say they work for? These thieves are trying to find out if you have an alarm so they can burglarize your home later. A real alarm company will only respond to your request for service. They do not drive around and merely check customer alarms.
Vacation checks can help
If you plan to be away from your home for a vacation, you can always contact the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station and request a “Vacation Check” of your home. Let us know what dates you will be gone, a contact number, and if anyone has your permission to be at the house (to water the plants, feed the animals, etc.).
Once logged, your home will be periodically checked by our Volunteers on Patrol. The volunteers immediately report any suspicious activity to deputies for further investigation.
Call the Crime Prevention Office at 562-866-9771, extension 2114 to:
- Inquire about crime prevention programs
- Obtain informational material
- Schedule Neighborhood Watch meetings
- Discuss any public safety concerns
Call the city’s Public Information line at 562-866-9771, extension 2140 to:
- Report graffiti and public nuisance issues
- Request patrol presence in your neighborhood
- Report speeding vehicles and request enforcement
- Generate any request for service
Call the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station at 562-623-3500 to:
- Report a crime that has occurred, such as a vehicle or residential burglary
- Report unusual or suspicious activity including door-to-door solicitors, anyone looking into parked vehicles, and traffic issues
- Schedule vacation checks and enroll in the Lakewood Auto Watch program
Call 9-1-1 to report any crime in progress!