BUENA PARK : Parking Lot Proves Bonanza for Thieves

Nearly 50 tourists who visited Movieland Wax Museum last year were in for a surprise when they went out to the parking lot afterward: Their cars were either stolen or broken into and valuables were taken.

Last year, the Beach Boulevard attraction had 48 car thefts and burglaries in its parking lot, said Mark Edwards, general manager.

Edwards said that last week alone three cars were stolen and two were burglarized. And the number of thefts, which occurred mostly during the daytime, has alarmed management, he said.

“It’s something we feel is a concern,” he said. Victimization of out-of-state visitors, he said, “does not reflect well on our entertainment corridor.”

Edwards expressed his concerns to the City Council this week. He told council members that putting up a fence between properties may be the only answer to stop crime.

“We would like to put decorative fencing to control access to our property” so motorists would leave the same way they enter, Edwards said.

But city codes do not a allow barriers between properties in the entertainment corridor along Beach Boulevard.

The intent of a master plan that guides development for the area is to promote pedestrian and vehicle traffic between properties, said Leslie Kyle, senior planner.

Kyle, however, said the city would be willing to look at a fence proposal by Edwards. Edwards said the museum has installed surveillance cameras and lights and has security patrols in its parking lot to deter criminals.

“I’ve even staked out on the roof with binoculars to catch the culprits,” he said. But the preventive measures have not worked, he said. “It’s getting to the point where we’re getting more and more.”

Edwards said he believes that Movieland has been targeted because thieves can enter and exit the parking area easily from neighboring properties.

Meanwhile, police say car thieves prey on tourists’ vehicles because they usually have valuables inside and there is a good chance victims won’t come back to the area to testify if suspects are caught.

Police Sgt. Terry Branum said the closeness of a freeway makes escape easy for a car thief or burglar.

Police Chief Richard M. Tefank said officers regularly patrol the area. The department also has conducted undercover operations.

“We will be as proactive as we can to prevent auto thefts and auto burglaries,” Tefank said. “But when you have a thief who wants to break into a car, that thief is going to go where the cars are at.”

Tefank added that car thefts also occur citywide. He said that from January through October, 1992, 800 auto thefts were reported citywide.

Jerri Heath, director of operations at Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, across the street from Movieland, said his attraction also has experienced car thefts and break-ins, despite security patrols at night.

Heath said his employees use Movieland’s parking lot at night, after the museum has closed. They have also been victims of car thieves, he said.

“We’ve had cars parked in front broken into. It’s incredible,” Heath said. “We certainly wish these people would go someplace else instead of our parking lot.”