Burglaries spike in La Cañada

Burglars hit La Cañada Flintridge hard last month, with October’s 11 burglaries matching the year’s high-water mark, according to the public safety report given to the City Council on Monday night by Capt. David Silversparre of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station.

Silversparre asked members of the community to be conscious of the threat and to take measures to protect their property.

“When we drive around we see so many garage doors that are open, we see so many gates that are installed but are left open,” said Silversparre. “Let’s try to do a better job of watching our castles and get burglars in custody.”

There were three burglaries in September, making October’s rise more noticeable, Silversparre said.

While October’s 11 burglaries matched the high set in March, only eight of them were residential incidents, a number that’s not out of line with recent trends in La Cañada. There were two commercial burglaries and one school burglary, at La Cañada High School. Two suspects in the LCHS burglary have been arrested and most of the stolen items recovered.

In October of last year there were a total of eight burglaries, seven of which were residential. And in August of this year there were nine residential burglaries. So while October’s jump in burglaries was unwelcome, Silversparre said, it is no reason to panic.

Incidents weren’t isolated in any one part of the city, he said.

“It’s kind of like measles, they’re all over the map,” said Silversparre, noting that several of the victims had been on vacation at the time their homes were struck.

In addition, multiple burglaries saw homes entered through an unsecured second-story window or door.

“We caution people to lock the windows on their second floor, or [against] keeping anything available like a ladder or lattice work that could be used to climb up,” said Silversparre.

Silversparre said residents should take note of any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods and report it to law enforcement.

“There are so many gardeners, construction workers and delivery people that it’s hard for us to know who belongs and who doesn’t,” said Silversparre. “If [residents] see something unusual, if they see some something suspicious, if they see a suspicious vehicle, [they should] give us a call.”