Police: Glendale Burglaries More Than Tripled Over New Year's Day Weekend
GLENDALE (CBS) — Residential burglaries in neighborhoods around Glendale spiked over New Year's Day weekend, police said Wednesday.
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports despite the crime surge, detectives downplayed the idea of a single burglary crew targeting the area.
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A dozen separate burglaries were reported over the weekend of January 1, marking a sharp increase from the average of two to three burglaries on an given weekend.
The break-ins were spread out throughout the city, with five in the southeast, 4 in the northwest, and 3 in the northeast sections.
Some homes located on Glenoaks Boulevard were even hit back-to-back.
"They're in completely different areas of the city, the [modus operandis] are a little bit different," said Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz. "So obviously we've got some people that have taken the opportunity to victimize people that probably went on vacation for the weekend."
Prior to the recent string of crimes, burglary had dropped 9 percent overall in the city from 2010.
Lorenz said the key to preventing any more burglaries is for the public to get involved.
"What we need from the public is to be aware of their communities, their neighborhoods, and if they see anything out of the ordinary — a vehicle they haven't seen before, a person that doesn't belong, a solicitor you think is suspicious — give us a call and let us make the determination," he said.
