Here’s a message from Captain Jay Landsman, Jr.:
Precinct 6 Communities,
Since Sunday night, 2/5/17, at 1100 PM, we have experienced 3 cat burglaries in the communities off of Loch Raven Blvd.
1700 block of Weston Avenue – On 2/5/17, the victims went to bed at 2300 hours and woke up on 2/6/17 at 0758 AM and noticed that the house was very cold. They discovered that their back door was open and a living room window was ajar. The suspects stole a television along with the victim’s purse as well as the keys to the victim’s Toyota Corolla.
1500 block of Cottage Lane – On 2/7/17, at 0338 AM, victim was woken up by the sound of her dining room window breaking. The victim screamed when she saw a black male in a dark sweat shirt wearing a yellow or orange beanie style hat climbing through the dining room window. The suspect fled when the victim screamed.
1600 block of Feldbrook Road – On 2/6/17, the victims went to bed at 1100 PM and woke up at 0500 AM on 2/7/17 to find a kitchen window open. The wife’s purse was rummaged through and the keys to both of their vehicles were gone, along with the vehicles.
Additionally, we have experienced several thefts of Dodge Caravans and Honda products in the Hillendale area.
I have directed our officers to pay special attention to these neighborhoods and we are deploying plain clothes and uniformed resources to the area. I am encouraging all COP and community groups to report all suspicious activity in these areas to 911 immediately. Together, we can put some real pressure on these suspects. I would also like to provide the following list of crime prevention tips to help shrink the window of opportunity for these criminals:
- Always Lock your vehicle and make sure that it is locked before you walk away from it.
- Remove all vehicle keys from the vehicle (including keys to other vehicles that may be parked at the same location). One of the vehicle theft cases from Hillendale involved the use of a key found in an unlocked vehicle parked at the same address. Also, the cold weather always brings an increase in “warm-up thefts.” Opportunistic car thieves are looking for the trail of exhaust from the running, unattended vehicle.
- Remove valuables from the vehicle. Laptops, purses, wallets, phones, shopping bags and other valuables should never be left in a vehicle.
- I know they are not as popular as they were several years ago, but an anti-theft device like “The Club” or a similar steering wheel lock is another deterrent for thieves.
- Leaving the porch light on in the front and back of the house is a deterrent for suspects, who want to operate under the cover of darkness.
- Trim branches and hedges away from windows and doorways to eliminate areas where suspects can avoid being seen as they attempt to break in to your house.
- Make sure that your doors have a lock on the handle and a deadbolt lock. If there is a window next to the door handle, the deadbolt should be a double key lock and not a thumb lock on the inside. The key should be hung up inside, where your family can find it easily in the event of an emergency. You can also add an additional sliding latch lock or chain on the inside of your door pretty inexpensively.
- Placing a piece of wood or metal in the track of your sliding glass doors and windows can make entry to your home much more difficult for criminals.
- Make a list of valuables in your home and document the serial numbers, which will assist investigators in tracking it down later and identifying the suspect.
- If you have an attached garage, lock the door to your house, even when the garage door is closed. If a thief gains entry to your garage, you do not want to give them easy access to your house.
Suspects are always looking for the unsuspecting, quick and easy target. BE AWARE and BE VIGILANT! The goal for the police and the community is to frustrate the criminals to the point that they no longer find our area desirable. We can do this through practical preventive measures, preventive patrols and by arresting suspects when these incidents occur. Thank you all for caring so much about your neighborhoods!
Jay
Captain Jay Landsman, Jr.
Commander
Precinct 6 / Towson
Baltimore County Police Department