Cerritos Weekly Crime Recap: Sept. 5 to Sept. 11

Editor's Note: The information below comes from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Cerritos Station's weekly crime summary.

 personnel logged 16 Part 1 felony crimes -- a decrease from the 22 cases logged the week before. Robberies, residential burglaries, and vehicle thefts increased, while commercial and vehicle burglaries were down. Patrol personnel responded to 272 calls for service, up from 263 the previous week. The current 2011 weekly average in calls for service is 273. 

ROBBERIES

There were two robberies investigated. On Friday, Sept. 9 at 1:15 p.m. a female victim had her purse stolen while in the 13300 block of South Street. The male suspect fled to an awaiting vehicle driven by a second suspect but was followed by a witness. The fleeing car crashed and the driver was arrested by deputies. The initial suspect ran away but the purse with all of its contents was recovered.  

In the second robbery, a loss prevention personnel struggled with a shoplifting suspect at a store in the 10900 block of Alondra Boulevard on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 2:45 p.m. He was ultimately taken into custody and the property was recovered.

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES

Residential burglaries rose from one to three cases during this week. In two of the break-ins, the burglars made entry through unlocked doors or windows, and a window was smashed in the third. Laptop computers, GPS units, and cameras were taken.  The 2011 weekly average in residential burglaries remains at 3.7.

Sheriff's safety tip: A reinforced side garage door makes it very difficult to kick in. This is a concealed area in most homes as a fence or gate blocks the view from the street. Make sure that yours is of solid construction, does not contain any glass, and has a sturdy deadbolt lock. 

COMMERCIAL/OTHER STRUCTURE BURGLARIES

There were no commercial burglaries reported during this period.

VEHICLE BURGLARIES

Vehicle burglaries dropped from nine to three during this week. All three occurred in high-volume commercial parking lots. An in-dash stereo was taken from one of the two SUVs last week. Passports, laptop computers, CDs, and sunglasses were also reported stolen. 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.

VEHICLE THEFTS

Vehicle thefts increased from two to four during this period. Two SUVs, two Hondas, and a Nissan were taken from high-volume commercial parking lots. 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. 

* Go to www.safercerritos.com for an extensive library of crime prevention tips,disaster preparedness information, and a variety of links to other pertinent sites.