Cerritos Weekly Crime Recap: April 25-May 1

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

The  received reports of 21 Part I felony crimes during this period, up from 13 from the week before. All categories of crime increased with the exception of robberies, which remained the same. Field deputies handled 261 calls for service, and the 2011 weekly average in calls for service is now 257. 

ROBBERIES

One robbery was reported this week when two male suspects entered a residence in the 16000 block of Canyon Creek Road on Tuesday, April 26 at 10:30 p.m. and demanded money.  The suspects opened a safe but the victim is unsure of any loss. The pair of robbers fled on foot. 

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES

Residential burglaries rose from two to three during this period. Two were caused by open/unlocked doors or windows, and the third was another “distraction burglary”, in which the suspect posed as a City employee checking water contamination at the victim's residence.  While inside with the residence, a second suspect slipped in and took items from a bedroom. A coin collection, safes, jewelry, cash, and a backpack were taken in the others. The 2011 weekly average in residential burglaries remains at 3.4.

Sheriff's safety tip: City Water Division employees have absolutely NO reason to enter a private residence in Cerritos. If anyone contacts you and states they need to come into the home, to check a condition in your backyard, or use any reason to enter your property, deny them immediately and contact the Cerritos Sheriff’s Station at once. 

COMMERCIAL/OTHER STRUCTURE BURGLARIES

Three commercial burglaries were reported during this period, and all three occurred at closed business where thieves shattered an office window, pried a door, and accessed a locking mechanism via a mail slot. Cash, laptops, generators, and a computer were taken in the thefts. The 2011 weekly average in “other structure”/commercial burglaries is now 2.8.  

VEHICLE BURGLARIES

Vehicle burglaries increased from two to six two last week. All of the break-ins took place in high-volume commercial parking lots. Three of the vehicles were SUVs that had third-row seats taken. The other property stolen consisted of shoes, wallets, ID, pants, backpacks, calculators, and MP3 players. The new 2011 weekly average in vehicle burglaries is 5.2. 

Sheriff's safety tip: Storing property in the passenger compartment, especially leaving it in plain sight, is exactly what the vehicle burglar will be looking for. Note that the type of property stolen last week included wallets, MP3 players, and cash. Don’t make the mistake of leaving valuable items behind because you just may never see them again.

VEHICLE THEFTS

Vehicle thefts increased from three to six during this week.  A Honda, a Toyota, a Chrysler, a trailer, and two SUVs were stolen from high-volume commercial parking lots. The current 2011 weekly average in this category is 2.4. 

Sheriff's safety tip: Even though we see more SUVs, Hondas, and Toyotas stolen compared to others, car thieves are not always as selective as you think and are most often just looking for transportation.  Consider a steering wheel locking device that serves as a good visual deterrent.