Crime No Stranger to the Suburbs

The suburbs may be safe in terms of overall crime, but burglaries and thefts are plentiful. For those accustomed to leaving doors open and windows unlocked, caution and common sense should rule.

Many people move to Orange County because they want a safe place to raise their families. For those who are tired of experiencing or even hearing about the safety precautions needed to get along in major urban centers, the sprawling housing tracts and malls are a haven from anxiety.

But crime is no stranger to the suburbs. With all the vaunted achievements of local communities in combating and preventing violent crime, the newer communities today provide a thriving ground for petty thieves and burglars. Recent developments in the more affluent areas of the county point up the need for sensible precautions against being victimized.

In the past 15 months, the exclusive Laguna Hills community of Nellie Gail has been hit by a string of burglaries. Many homes are priced in the high end, and break-ins have been occurring when suspects enter a neighborhood, knock on doors and enter when nobody answers.

One pattern seems to be that the criminals are taking advantage of openings left for them by homeowners. In one case, entry was made through a large dog door, and another time the access was made through an upstairs window. For this community, where the most frequent nuisance is a coyote attack on cats, this is a sign of the intrusion of the outside world that needs to be heeded.

In Irvine, police note that thieves have been breaking into unlocked cars. Again, there is a presumption of safety that arises from the community’s low crime rate.

Neighboring Newport Beach reports that an estimated quarter of the city’s auto burglaries arise from unlocked cars. There is also a temptation to assume that having a car parked in a driveway or in front of a house means that it is OK to leave it unlocked. People also tend to take a casual approach to locking cars when they stop to visit the beach.

It only takes seconds. Suburban dwellers also can learn the painful lesson learned by those who have cars in cities; thieves get an invitation to break in when they see packages or valuables left visible in cars. This is especially true with cell phones.

Cars left unlocked are also a boon for the thief because the punishment for getting caught is less severe than for a break-in.

Newport Beach, meanwhile, has been investigating a string of burglaries in which thieves hit at night and enter through second stories of houses to avoid downstairs security systems.

Homeowners and car owners can benefit from anti-theft programs offered by local police, and from participation in neighborhood watch groups. Irvine police, for example, have offered residents security checks and dispense advice on how to secure windows and entryways.

In many cases, as can be seen in the patterns, the best security is in not providing an easy opportunity for the thief. Open doors and windows are an invitation to break-ins.

Living in places where the crime rate is low does not mean that common sense should be checked at the door on moving day. This is so even in an area that prides itself on offering a safe and secure environment.

As the region grows, residents are well-advised to adopt basic precautions for protecting valuables in homes and autos, and on one’s person in travels around malls, neighborhoods and local streets.