The crime reports for October are below. We had a good month, with a lower overall number of incidents and only one home burglary. After a string of unfortunate violent incidents over the summer, there were no reports of serious violent crime in October in the report below. However, there was a driveway robbery in the 58xx block of Lewis last Friday. Two latin males, one armed with a copper-colored pistol robbed a man of his cash as he was going to his car at around 7:45pm. A woman saw the men approaching and thinking they looked suspicious, she quickly dashed into the house.
Smart lady.

Watch That Car

We had an unusual robbery occur last week that I wanted to let you know about. A valet operator on Greenville (near Goodwin) was talking on his phone. An older tan Ford drove up and as the attendant walked over to the car, they pulled him into the car and drove a short distance away before tossing him out of the car again. All this to steal his cell phone. While I hate to discourage anyone from being helpful, if someone calls you over to their vehicle to ask a question, stand far  enough away to avoid endangering yourself in this manner. While it may be our nature to get closer, a little distance might prevent a scenario like this.

Don’t Let The Grinch Steal Christmas

The Holidays are here. Over the next few weeks, a great many of us will be decorating the tree and opening our curtains for our neighbors to enjoy the lightshow. Just remember to close the curtains before you go to bed or when you leave the house. A tree with a pile of presents underneath makes for easy window shopping for criminals. Leaving the curtains open allows them to check out the loot at night and come back the next day when you’re at work. They can plan out exactly where they need to go and how to make their visit quick. So by all means, celebrate the holidays, but close up the curtains when you’re asleep or away.

And here are a few more tips courtesy of Mark Moynahan at the Wilshire Heights Crime Watch:
– Remove fall-related objects that might allow access to your home. For example, a ladder for cleaning leaves out of gutters can be used to enter windows or scale fences
– Don’t post Thanksgiving travel plans on Facebook, Twitter or other social media channels letting people know that you will be out of town
– Turn your telephone ringer down so no one outside can hear repeated rings; review your answering machine message to make sure it doesn’t imply that you are away
– Make sure to have all mail, newspapers, and deliveries stopped or picked up by  a neighbor, friend or relative
– Never leave a key hidden outside. Burglars know all the best hiding places
– Secure all windows, including those upstairs and reduce the chance of easy entry by cutting tree limbs away from second-story windows
– Have a friend move your car occasionally if it is parked in the driveway
– Use timers to operate lights