La Cañada residents form neighborhood watch group

Oakwood Avenue residents are preparing to keep trouble at bay by forming a Neighborhood Watch group.

On Sunday, Sept. 23, residents of Oakwood between Georgian Road and Berkshire Avenue hosted a block party to socialize and learn techniques for keeping their properties safe from burglars.

Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Matejka told residents to keep an eye out for unfamiliar people or vehicles, to write down license plate numbers or details and call officers if something seems amiss. While he said it is good for neighbors to let neighbors know when they plan to be out of town, it is risky to broadcast the information too widely or to share too much information with contractors and others working on their homes.

Matejka urged residents to close driveway gates, even when going out for short errands.

“Burglars are opportunists who will spot your absence and can take away lots of property in only the 15 minutes you are away at the store or dropping off kids at school,” he said.

For more information on how to form a Neighborhood Watch group, call the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station at 818-248-3464.

-- Bill Kisliuk, Times Community News

Twitter: @bkisliuk