Police are warning Davis residents about the unusual rise in burglaries this year. In the last month alone, reports show that the number for reported incidents have nearly tripled from last year.
Since July, there have been 66 reported incidents of residential burglaries. Last year, there were 61 cases total and in 2008, there were 50.
The Davis Police Department is still investigating these incidents. Authorities say there are no clear connections between the individual incidents but that many of the burglaries have been occurring in West Davis between Sycamore Lane and Anderson Road, up to Russell Boulevard and Alvarado Avenue.
Many of the items stolen are small electronics including gaming consoles, televisions, computers and laptops. In addition, many alleged burglars have been targeting prescription medication.
“This summer we’ve seen a lot more victims report their prescription medication missing – it’s something not normally reported,” said Steven Pierce, Assistant Police Chief of the Davis Police Department.
“If they are targeting that type of material, it can be due to some kind of addiction or for monetary gain,” said Glenn Glasgow, Patrol Lieutenant of the Davis Police Department.
Authorities said they do not know if this will be an ongoing trend, but they will continue investigations.
In response to this sudden surge of theft, the Davis Police Department sent out a press release last Thursday advising residents to take simple precautions when leaving their homes.
Authorities said that most incidents are crimes of opportunity and that one-third of them occur in the daytime.
“Many of these crimes occur in the early afternoon and evening because burglars know that people are at work,” Pierce said. “Sometimes they will come disguised as salesman. If your front windows or blinds are open, they can see whether people are home or not.”
Police are asking Davis residents and visitors to be observant of the community and to report any suspicious activity that may occur in their neighborhoods.
Examples of suspicious activity include vehicles parked and idling for extended periods of time, subjects who appear to be scouting or casing a neighborhood, multiple subjects wandering from house to house and vehicles driving slowly through the neighborhood, Glasgow said.
On July 28, Police arrested three suspects – a juvenile and two Davis residents – on J Street after receiving a call from a witness nearby.
“We had received a call so we set up a perimeter around the 900 block of J Street,” Glasgow said. “A witness to the burglary had seen three subjects enter into the residence and flee within a couple of minutes of being inside.”
After contacting the residents and the witness, authorities were able to identify the alleged burglars and locate the stolen property. They were later linked to two other residential burglaries.
They were taken into custody at Yolo County Jail where they were charged with three cases of residential burglary.
For residents who will be gone for an extended period of time, the Davis Police Department offers a security check for no cost through their crime prevention unit. To know more about ways to prevent burglary, visit cityofdavis.org/police.
KAREN SONG can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
