Residents in West Los Angeles may finally be able to sleep better. The "Silverware Bandit" is under arrest. Police have arrested a suspect they believe is responsible for at least 15 home invasions and robberies in West Los Angeles and another string of robberies in Santa Monica.
Since the end of May the Westside neighborhood has felt like it was under attack. Neighbors up in arms about what they termed a "mini-crime wave" organized neighborhood watch groups to protect themselves. While police shared residents' concerns and did increase police resources to the area, they pointed out that violent crime is down in Los Angeles.
The home invasion robberies on the Westside targeted mostly elderly women living alone in single-story homes. Since the end of May a man in a ski mask hit more than a dozen homes, stealing jewelry and money and leaving his victims traumatized. Neighborhood residents said they didn't feel safe and many still don't, despite the arrest. They fear the suspect may have had an accomplice who is still on the loose. At least one longtime elderly resident frightened by the violent thefts has moved out and other residents have installed alarms, fences and other security devices.
Violent crime on the Westside decreased 4% between January and August this year, 6% citywide, according to LAPD statistics. Homicides, rapes, burglaries and property crimes are all lower than at this time last year in West LA; but the robbery rate has held constant.
To protect yourself from robbery and burglary:
- Make your home an unattractive target. Trim shrubs and trees away from windows and doors. Install motion sensors on outdoor lights. Install light sensors on porch lights that turn on automatically at dark. Fence your yard and padlock the gate.
- Make it hard for robbers to break in. Install deadbolt locks, safety chains and double-pane windows. Don't leave extra keys under the mat or in a flower pot. Don't leave keys in the locks on the inside of the door where robbers can break a pane of glass and reach in to unlock the door. Keep the door to an attached garage locked. Keep a metal rod or broomstick in the track of sliding glass doors.
- Install an alarm system or sign up for a security service.
- When you leave home or travel, purchase light timers ($10) to turn lights on and off. Look for timers that allow you to vary the on/off times daily. A device can be purchased for about $90 that opens and closes blinds. Stop the mail and newspapers. Ask a neighbor to keep an eye on your house and park a car in your driveway. Provide him with emergency contact phone numbers.
