Valencia, Zone 5

Last week, the following Part 1 crimes occurred in Zone 5 (Valencia):

A residential burglary occurred near the 23600 block of Mill Valley Road. A male victim fell asleep inside his dining room area of his residence. He left his rear sliding door open and his screen closed but unlocked. When he woke up he realized his wallet and his black computer bag were missing from his room. He saw his screen door was ajar, and the side gate to his residence also ajar. He also was missing his MacBook laptop.

A residential burglary occurred near the 25000 block of Magic Mountain Parkway. The victim was outside on her patio enjoying the outdoors. When the victim began to go inside she saw a male white wearing a blue collared shirt inside her residence. Once the suspect saw the victim was home, he fled the location in an unknown direction.

A Commercial Burglary occurred near the 22800 block of Copper Hill Drive. An unknown suspect entered the location by smashing a front window. They entered the location, smashed a display case, and took cell phones from inside the store.

An attempt burglary occurred near the 23300 block of Cinema Drive. Suspect(s) unknown attempted to enter the location by breaking a window. The victim was unable to identify any stolen items from inside the location.

A vehicle was stolen from the 26800 block of Avenue Hall. A 2001 Chevy Cargo Van was stolen from the location and recovered four days later in LAPD area

A grand theft occurred near the 27300 block of Deerborn Street. The victim was leaving his residence and placed his tablet on top of his car. As he left his residence he forgot about the tablet on the roof of his parked car in front of his house. When he returned his tablet was gone.

A burglary occurred near the 26400 block of Bouquet Canyon Road. A male white adult walked into the location and selected a phone off the display case. He cut the security cable and walked out of the store without paying for the selected item.

During this past week we had seven shoplifting burglaries occur at local businesses. Out of the seven incidents a total of five suspects were arrested and booked at Santa Clarita Valley Station patrol deputies.

On a weekly basis we still have vehicle burglaries occur that I believe are preventable. Please remember to take a few extra seconds and follow these few simple steps to help ensure you do not become a victim of theft.

You can prevent vehicle theft.

Most cars are taken by amateurs who can be stopped fairly easily. You can increase your protection against this type of crime by taking the following sensible precautions:

Lock up

• An unlocked car is an open invitation to a car thief. Lock up when you leave your car, and take the keys with you.

• Lock the trunk or tailgate.

• Close all windows — professional thieves have tools that unlock cars through the smallest openings.

• Be sure vent or wind-wing windows are shut tight.

• When you park the car, remove cellular phones, cassette players and other valuable possessions. Do not leave gift-wrapped packages or cameras lying on the seat. Lock all valuables in your trunk or take them with you.

• Lock your car even if you are making a quick stop at the gas station, convenience store or mini-mall.

Park carefully

• Don’t leave an auto in unattended public parking lots for an extended period. A car is five times more likely to be stolen from an unattended lot than from the street or attended lot.

• If possible, park your car in a lot where you don’t have to leave your keys.

• Never attach a tag with your name and address to your key ring. If the keys are lost or stolen, the tag will lead the thief directly to your car and your home. If you have to leave your keys with a parking attendant, leave only the ignition key.

• At night, park in well-lit areas with lots of people around.

• Turn wheels sharply toward the curb when parking, this makes it extra difficult for thieves to tow your car.

Operation I.D.

• With an electric engraver, etch your driver’s license number (preceded by the letters “CA”) on cassette players and other valuable items.

• Record your vehicle identification number (located on a small metal plate on the dashboard of newer cars) and store it in a safe place.

Keep the vehicle registration in your wallet or purse, not in your car.

Use anti-theft devices

• When buying a car, check the manufacturer’s list of anti-theft options, such as interior hood and trunk releases, locking steering columns and others.

• Consider the purchase and installation of security devices, such as:

– Interior hood lock release.

– Second ignition switch or “kill switch” to prevent electrical current from reaching the coil distributor.

– Fuel switch to prevent fuel from reaching the carburetor.

– Locking gas cap.

Vehicle Security

Crime and Violence Prevention Center • California Attorney General’s Office

– Locking devices for batteries, wheels, decks, etc.

– Alarm device to activate a siren, horn or lights – or all three – to frighten the thief away.

– Device that attaches to the steering wheel or brake pedal.

Carjacking

This violent, random form of auto theft is on the rise. A driver of any vehicle can be a target of someone with a weapon. It can happen anywhere, day or night. Here are some precautions:

• Keep your doors locked.

• Park in well-lit, busy areas.

• Be alert of your surroundings, of people approaching your vehicle.

• Stick with the traffic, avoid lightly traveled streets, especially after dark.

• Keep car and house keys on separate key chains.

• Keep the garage door opener in your purse or briefcase.

• When stopped in traffic, always leave enough room to make an emergency getaway.

• If someone is threatening you with a weapon, give up the vehicle — it’s not worth your life.

How to prevent theft of other motor vehicles

Thefts of snowmobiles, motorcycles, boats and trail-bikes are also increasing. Many of the same precautions that apply to cars also apply to recreational vehicles.

Lock It

• Make sure all easy-to-carry items like motors, water skis and camping gear are locked up before leaving your vehicle.

Chain It

• Vehicles carried on trailers should be secured with a strong chain and padlock.

• When the trailer is not attached to your car, secure it with a heavy chain and lock to a stationary object.

• Chain your motorcycle or snowmobile to a stationary object such as a lamppost or sewer grating. Even when your vehicle is in the garage, use a heavy chain and padlock

As always, please feel free to call or email me.

Deputy Brian Heischuber

baheisch@lasd.org

661-255-1121 EXT. 5164

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

Twitter @SCVSheriff http://www.twitter.com/scvsheriff

Twitter @jdLASD http://www.twitter.com/jdLASD

SCV Station Homepage – http://www.santaclarita.lasd.org

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