Property crimes have spiked around 450% in Altadena in the months since the Eaton fire ripped through the community in January, killing at least 18 people and destroying thousands of homes and businesses, according to law enforcement officials.
On average, there have been more than 40 home burglaries reported each month since the fire in Altadena, according to Lt. Ethan Marquez with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Before the Eaton fire, the department responded to an average of six burglaries a month, Marquez said Monday.
Thieves have targeted burned lots to find anything of value that may have survived the fire and are also breaking into unoccupied homes that survived to steal what they can find, Marquez said.
“The problem with the thieves is they just do not realize that the community here has lost just about everything,” Marquez said. “They’re missing the opportunity to be a good human being and to not put pour salt in somebody’s wound.”
Crimes against another person, like assaults, murders and rapes, have decreased about 50% in the months since the Eaton fire, Marquez said.
To try to mitigate burglaries, the Sheriff’s Department has assigned 19 additional deputies to patrol the community, nearly tripling its presence, and perform periodic home checks for around 600 homeowners who requested the free service by emailing altadenahomecheck@lasd.org
Officials are also installing license plate reading cameras throughout the city and talking with community members to reinstate a neighborhood watch program. Marquez believes both efforts will help reduce crime in the community.
The National Guard also remains deployed in the area to help with security.
The Sheriff’s Department has seen arrest rates about 250% higher than normal since the fire, Marquez said. Some of the arrestees, he said, have traveled from other counties and states to try to steal from community members impacted by the fire.
In one of the department’s undercover operations this month, deputies arrested 15 people, the majority of whom are accused of theft-related crimes, Marquez said. More undercover operations are planned in Altadena to deter and arrest potential thieves.
To protect their properties, Marquez suggests residents invest in doorbell cameras or cameras with motion sensors, especially if their home will be unoccupied, to monitor for suspicious activity.
For residents who don’t have power or internet access at their property, he recommends battery-powered motion sensor cameras typically used for game hunting. Residents can provide footage from the cameras to the Sheriff’s Department, so they can try to identify suspects targeting vacant properties.
The Sheriff’s Department is also working with nonprofits and other organizations to try and get donations of construction fencing to secure properties and deter trespassers.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger also recommended residents install lighting, fencing and no trespassing signs and ask their neighbors to look out for each other’s homes. Barger said in a statement that she’s angered by the rise in burglaries and has confidence that District Attorney Nathan Hochman will prosecute all offenders to the fullest extent of the law.
“Our residents have endured a lot of trauma and loss,” Barger said, “and it’s disgusting that opportunists are taking advantage of a very vulnerable situation.”
Originally Published:
