Police: Burglaries Double in Northwest Pasadena

The number of residential burglaries reported in northwest Pasadena doubled between April in May, and as a result city police have been increasing their patrols in affected neighborhoods, authorities say.

In April, 12 residential burglaries were reported in northwest Pasadena, and in May 24 such crimes were noted on police files, said Pasadena Police Department Lt. Chris Russ. The most concentrated areas of the burglaries were in communities north of Mountain Street, south of Howard, east of Sunset Avenue, and west of Fair Oaks Avenue, Russ said. Most of the burglaries happen on Tuesdays and Fridays during daylight hours, though recently due to increased patrol efforts the number of incidents appears to be decreasing, Russ said.

Figures for June burglaries in northwest Pasadena were not available as of publication time Thursday.

Most of the reported burglaries in any area of Pasadena, especially in the most affected neighborhoods, are “crimes of opportunity,” Russ said. In almost all cases, a home was left unlocked or valuables such as laptops were visible to passerby. PPD officials urge citizens to lock their doors even when home or going out for a minute and to keep valuables in both homes and cars out of sight.

“Most of our break-ins are not break-ins,” said PPD Sgt. Ed Calatayud, III. “They’re walk-ins.”

PPD has a regular burglary suppression detail, which Russ manages with the help of sworn police officers and trained citizen volunteers. A recent sweep of northwest Pasadena during the daytime on a Friday led to no burglaries being reported that day.

Russ said despite the increase in northwest Pasadena, that property as well as violent crime throughout most of the city is on the decline. The preliminary 2008 Uniform Crime Report issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows that violent crime in Pasadena dropped 17 percent from 2007. Included in the UCR is a dramatic reduction in the murder rate in Pasadena, with three homicides reported in 2008 as opposed to 11 in 2007.

Concerning burglaries, which include both residences and businesses, the number has dropped all throughout Pasadena between 2007 and 2008, according to the UCR. In 2008, 395 burglaries were reported in Pasadena, a 10 percent decrease from the 440 burglary reports issued in 2007, according to the UCR.

The UCR only reflects statistics on cities and towns with a population of more than 100,000, so statistics for some of the communities surrounding Pasadena, such as Altadena, South Pasadena, San Marino, and Sierra Madre, were not available.

The risk of property crime and any other crime in any community, whether in Pasadena in beyond, can be dramatically reduced by taking some simple steps, said Calatayud.

It can also be alleviated in neighborhoods by communication among neighbors and keeping an eye out for anything suspicious such as new people wandering around the community, Calatayud said.

“Sometimes burglars pose as solicitors to case a neighborhood to see who is home, who isn’t home, what looks tantalizing for them to break in and get into,” Calatayud said. “So just that little heightened level of awareness makes a huge difference.”

Calatayud, sworn officers, and volunteers have worked with neighborhoods and businesses in Pasadena to create neighborhood or business watch programs. Using a “phone tree,” in which neighbors or merchants call each other to discuss possible problems in a community can be instrumental in preventing residential or even commercial burglaries, Calatayud said.

Anyone with information about a burglary in progress should call 911. People with information about a past burglary or other inquiries regarding suspicious people or starting a neighborhood watch program is asked to call the Pasadena Police Department at 626-744-4501.