Lock Up; Stay Alert

Is a serial rapist stalking Simi Valley?

After comparing details of five sexual assaults and two rapes committed since 1996, police say they may be the work of one man.

His targets have been slender young women with light brown hair. They range in age from 15 to 23. All live with their parents or other family members, who have been in the house asleep during most of the assaults. Investigators speculate that the attacker likes the extra risk.

This would be troubling news anywhere. In Simi, consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in the nation, it hits especially hard.

Whether or not one man is to blame for all seven crimes, the Simi Valley Police Department has rightly increased the number of officers on the case from two to 12.

There are some things other residents can do to help.

Many watchful eyes are the best defense against crimes of this nature. Neighbors should be extra observant of strangers in residential areas and call police if they see someone prowling or loitering. Descriptions of the suspect have been sketchy because the victims have been attacked in the dark, often after being awakened. But police believe the man is white or Latino, in his early 20s, with a medium build and dressed in dark clothing.

And finally, in all of the reported cases, the attacker entered the victim’s home through an unlocked door or window. Sad to say, even in relatively safe Simi, in 1998 it’s a wise precaution to lock the doors.