Organizer cancels neighborhood-wide yard sale due to concerns over crime risks

Plans to hold a neighborhood-wide garage sale in Glendale’s Rossmoyne area were halted this week following pressure from neighbors who worried the event would invite unnecessary risk by allowing would-be burglars to identify homes to target.

Twice a year for the last two years, Glendale resident and local real estate broker David Robles has organized a neighborhood-wide garage sale in the Rossmoyne area, a community of roughly 1,200 homes. Roughly 50 homes participated in each event, which Robles said draws several hundred people.

But neighbors, along with police, worried that potential criminals would use the event, which had been slated to take place next month, to scope out the neighborhood and figure out which homes have alarm systems or surveillance cameras, as well as take note of the layouts of homes and the type of locks used in them.

Given recent high-profile crimes that have occurred in the neighborhood, Robles agreed to not hold the sale.

Earlier this month, an elderly couple was robbed at gunpoint during a home invasion in the 1000 block of North Cedar Street. In June, a significant amount of jewelry was stolen in a home burglary in the 1300 block of Rossmoyne Avenue while the residents were out for a few hours.

In the last year, there have been eight residential burglaries reported in the neighborhood, according to Glendale Police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.

“We felt that it just wasn’t a good time to have a high-profile yard sale event,” Robles said, adding that the yard sale has been canceled until further notice.

Robles, who has lived in the neighborhood for 10 years with his wife and two children, has also offered to purchase 1,600 Neighborhood Watch signs — to the tune of about $5,000 — for his neighbors to let every visitor know “this neighborhood bands together against crime.”

The Rossmoyne Neighborhood Watch program focuses on crime prevention through distributing safety tips and hosting social gatherings during which residents can get to know their neighbors and are reminded to watch for suspicious activity, said Talia Puzantian, who runs the program.

Many neighbors said they were appreciative of Robles’ reconsideration to hold the event, and suggested that, in the future, he host it at a public venue that doesn’t draw attention to homes, such as Glendale Community College or the Glendale Civic Auditorium.

“We don’t have an issue with him hosting it, we just don’t want him hosting it in our neighborhood,” said Steven Chapman, a Neighborhood Watch block captain. “Safety comes first for all of us.”

However, not all neighbors were in favor of that approach.

Cate Lander, a 55-year resident of the Rossmoyne area and supporter of the community garage sale, said via email that the community is vigilant when outsiders visit the neighborhood, and having an off-site event garage sale would force participants without a truck to rent one.

“I know all of my neighbors, what cars they drive, when they are out of town. We all look out for each other,” Lander said. “If there is a suspicious car parked, we call police. If there is a car cruising, we take down license plates.”

Puzantian encouraged community vigilance, and for neighbors to take safety precautions such as installing sensor lights, having a guard dog or locking gates, doors and windows.

Rossmoyne residents who would like to join the Neighborhood Watch program can send an email to rossmoynenw@yahoo.com.