Cerritos Weekly Crime Recap: Aug. 15-21

personnel investigated 24 Part I felony crimes during this period, up by two cases from the week before. Vehicle burglaries increased, robberies remained the same, and residential and commercial burglaries along with vehicle thefts decreased. Calls for service took a spike with 312 compared to 259 the previous week. The current 2011 weekly average in calls for service is 274. 

ROBBERIES

There was one robbery reported when a male victim was working in an office in the 11300 block of 183rd Street on Tuesday, Aug. 16 about 1 p.m. and reported that a male suspect entered, struck him, and stole his wallet.

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES

Residential burglaries dropped from seven to four during this week. Two cases were attributed to open windows, and a window and a sliding glass door were pried open in the other two. TVs, handguns, computer monitors and a hard drive were taken. There is a named suspect in one of these crimes. The 2011 weekly average in residential burglaries remains at 3.7. 

Sheriff's safety tip: Remember the importance of keeping your home secured when you are away. With the warm weather, many choose to leave a window open to ventilate, but that will be the first thing a burglar looks for. Don’t make it easy for someone to steal your possessions! 

COMMERCIAL/OTHER STRUCTURE BURGLARIES

There was one commercial burglary investigated, a plunge from the four cases that had been reported the past two consecutive weeks. In the single occurrence, a door lock was pried at a closed business where a computer was taken. The 2011 weekly average in commercial/“other structure” burglaries is 3.2.

VEHICLE BURGLARIES

Vehicle burglaries increased from seven to twelve this week. Nine of the crimes occurred in high-volume commercial parking lots. Six of these were near Artesia Boulevard and Studebaker Road and involved trailers and RVs. SUVs were targeted in five of the cases reported.  GPS units were stolen in two incidents. Tools, laptop computers, backpacks, MP3 players, all terrain vehicles (ATVs), a camcorder, a suitcase, clothing, and a golf cart were among the other items missing.  The 2011 weekly average in vehicle burglaries remained at 6.3. 

Sheriff's safety tip: Any visible property left in the passenger compartment of a vehicle is fair game to a would-be thief. If you leave items in plain view, your risks substantially increase that a window will be shattered and the items will be stolen. This is the most common method of entry used here in Cerritos. 

VEHICLE THEFTS

Vehicle thefts remained at one last week when a bobtail truck was stolen from high-volume commercial parking lot. The 2011 weekly average in vehicle thefts is 2.8.

Sheriff's safety tip: We always promote the use of steering wheel locking devices as great visible deterrents, but also endorse the use of tracking devices that can lead to the speedy recovery of your stolen vehicle.