Cerritos Weekly Crime Recap: Sept. 12 to Sept. 18

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

 personnel conducted 28 Part I felony investigations during this period, up by six crimes from the previous week. All categories in this summary increased with the exception of robberies, which remained the same. There were 277 calls for service handled by patrol deputies, up from 272 the week before. The current 2011 weekly average in calls for service is 273.

ROBBERIES

Two robberies were reported during this week.

In the first case, a male victim was confronted by two male suspects in 11400 block of South Street and forced to withdraw money from two nearby ATMs on Tuesday Sept. 13 at 9 p.m. The suspects then fled and left the victim unharmed.  

On Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 4:31 p.m. two male suspects pushed a male victim to the ground in the Los Cerritos Center and stole an Iphone. Both suspects fled with what turned out to be a useless defective phone that was about to be disposed of. 

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES

Residential burglaries increased from one case to six during this period. Three break-ins were made through open/unlocked doors or windows, two windows were pried, and one window was shattered. Handguns, sunglasses, jewelry, coins, a bicycle, and passports were stolen. The 2011 weekly average in residential burglaries remains at 3.7.  

Sheriff's safety tip: Why wait until after you are the victim of a residential burglary to install a monitored home alarm system?   

COMMERCIAL/OTHER STRUCTURE BURGLARIES

Two commercial burglaries were recorded after none were reported the previous period. A window was shattered on a closed business where computers and scanners were stolen, and a building under construction was broken into for the theft of copper wire. The 2011 weekly average in commercial/“other structure” burglaries is 3.1.  

VEHICLE BURGLARIES

Vehicle burglaries were also up from three to six this week. Only one of the vehicle burglaries in this period occurred in a high-volume commercial parking lot. The others were all in residential areas. Four of the vandalized vehicles were SUVs, and a stereo and GPS items were taken in two incidents. Other property missing included purses, guitars, laptop computers, and an amplifier. The 2011 weekly average in vehicle burglaries remained at 6.3. 

Sheriff's safety tip: Remember, ANY item left in a vehicle has the potential to be missing when you return.

VEHICLE THEFTS

Vehicle thefts also rose from four to eight this week. Seven were taken from high-volume commercial parking lots. Five were SUVs, along with a Honda, a Nissan, and a bobtail truck. The 2011 weekly average in vehicle thefts is 2.9. 

Sheriff's safety tip: As with a car burglary, you can be your own best police officer by using a steering wheel locking device when parking in commercial parking lots (especially if your car is ten years or older, an older model Toyota, Honda, or a newer SUV). 

* 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.