Please be aware that yesterday, January 26, 2010 several citizens on the west side of Pasadena contacted the Police Department regarding persons coming up to their front doors in the evening (dark) hours with the story that they are “trying to better themselves” and would like the citizen to purchase magazines from them. In one case reported, the young lady seemed lost and told the resident she wanted money (she was also babbling incoherently). When the resident refused the young lady became verbally abusive and this is totally unacceptable even if the solicitor has a permit issued by Municipal Services. A permit is not a license to be rude to our citizens.
I was also told today about another incident this morning where a vehicle pulled into a driveway and the driver told the resident (when the resident answered the knock at his front door) he was looking for “Joe Black” who he thought used to live in that house. This is another old technique for casing a residence for a potential burglary. No answer means probably no one is at home.
Please remember not to open your door (even in daylight) unless you know the person at your door or are expecting someone but rather talk to them with the door closed before you decide whether or not to open your door. It would also be a good idea if you are home alone to yell (as if to a dad, spouse or offspring) “it’s ok, I’ll get the door Jake…I am already here”. That way the person standing on the porch will think there are more folks in the house than there actually are, and they will believe you are not alone. It is not advisable to ignore someone at the door. We have had cases where the resident did not answer the door knock and the bad guy went around to the back and broke into the home, believing the residents to be gone. Please feel free to pass these suggestions and information along to your kids, friends and neighbors as well. We want to do everything we can to keep our citizens safe.
Cynthia Murphy
Police Specialist IV
Pasadena Police Department
Community Services Section
(626)744-7657
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In the last couple of weeks there have been two burglaries and two attempted burglaries in the Lower Hastings Ranch area. Yesterday a home on the 3700 block of Newhaven around 10:00 am was burglarized and last week there was an attempted burglary on the same block.
The MO is that someone will knock on the front door and if no one answers, they will try to break in at the rear of the house. In the two attempted burglaries someone was home and scared off the burglars.
In one of the attempted burglaries, two women tried to climb in an open bathroom window and in the other incident a 12 year old boy was trying to open the back door.
Please be alert to anyone that does not look like they belong in the neighborhood and call the police if you notice something suspicious.
Jim Brennan
September 4, 2009
Addendum:
The Police have reported that there were several vehicle burglaries on September 28, 2009. Be sure to lock your car and not leave any valuables exposed to view, even if your car is in front of your house. Criminals like to take advantage of safe neighborhoods like ours because we let our guard down here. As always, call the police at 626.744.4241 if you see any suspicious activity.