RHA reports on OCSD crime seminar

The following information was released by the Rossmoor Homeowners Association Neighborhood Watch Committee.

Investigator Purser held a meeting on June 5th to discuss with the Rossmoor community the increase in crime from 2007 to 2011, what the OCSD has been doing to help reduce the crime, and to update us on current crime issues as well as provide information on some recent arrests.

Below is a recap of “Part 1″ and “Part 2″ crimes from 2007 to 2011

Type of Crime	2007	2011
Robbery	4	3*
Burglary – Residential	29	33
Burglary – Vehicle	21	27
Petty Theft	15	50
Grand Theft	12	22

*includes attempts

In April there was 1 residential burglary, and in May there were 5. There was one robbery where an ipod was taken by force on Walker Lee.

While there has clearly been an increase in overall crime, and this is definitely a concern, of special interest is the fact there has only been an increase of 4 residential burglaries from 2007 to 2011. This is, obviously, an increase, and does not diminish the seriousness of the crimes, but it does put into perspective that residential burglaries are not new to our community. We are simply more informed.

In response, the OCSD has stepped up patrols in a couple different ways. Due to Sunset Beach’s annexation to Huntington Beach, the west-side cover car that used to patrol that area now remains in Rossmoor unless it is called away to cover Midway City or an unincorporated area of Anaheim.

In addition, the Sheriff’s Dept has changed their patrol shifts. They have a day shift, swing shift, and night shift. To increase daytime coverage, they have moved up the swing shift from a 3:00 p.m. start to 11:00 a.m. We have seen an increase in traffic stops as a result. For the week of 5/27 through 6/2, the OCSD made 26 traffic stops.

Investigator Purser said these stops are very helpful. They may not always result in arrests, but it will oftentimes allow the officers to do probation searches of residences. This is a deterrent for crime in Rossmoor because not only are the people being stopped, but they then have to submit to home searches.

There was also an undercover sting operation on 5/17 with 8 investigators from the criminal investigation bureau, fraud, family protection, and gang reduction intervention divisions.

Investigator Purser has formed a somewhat informal task force. On April 3 he met with detectives and sergeants from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept (Lakewood/Hawaiian Gardens station), Los Alamitos PD, Seal Beach PD, Cypress PD, La Palma PD, and Garden Grove PD. There were approximately 30-40 people present to discuss how all the departments might better share real-time information about cross-over crimes.

Of significance are 4 recent arrests. Two were arrested from a traffic stop for possession of stolen property in their vehicle. One suspect was on parole, and a probation search of his residence revealed additional stolen property. They had been breaking into unlocked vehicles. One of the suspects is currently in jail.

An arrest was also made for a 21-year old male who broke into a locked car. He left his cigarette butt in the ashtray, and a DNA match was made. He is currently in jail.

Another suspect was a 32-year-old male arrested for a residential burglary on Martha Ann. He left his DNA on a beer bottle in the house. He, too, is currently in jail.

These arrests can take time. Unlike CSI on TV, DNA matches take approximately 4-6 months.

So far all residential burglaries appear to have been committed during daylight hours.

There is again an increase in theft of 3rd-row seats from Cadillac Escalades and GMC Yukons. Suspects use a shaved key, disable the alarm, and remove the seat within 90 seconds. A lock-down steel cable is recommended if you are unable to park in the garage. Investigator Purser also recommended that some kind of identifying mark be made on the seat because when they are recovered, they have no way of knowing who they belong to.

One incident of a potential break-in was in the 2700 block of Bostonian. The incident was observed and called in by a neighbor. It involved two male Hispanics who appeared to be gardeners. They were both seen in front of the residence. One male was using a leaf blower. The second male went to the front door of the residence. He rang the doorbell, knocked on the door, and then lifted the mail slot on the front door and looked inside the residence.

The neighbor was watching the two individuals. It appeared the one with the leaf blower was not actually blowing any debris. When the male at the door noticed the neighbor watching him, he ran from the residence and the other male followed him. They left in a white Toyota flat-bed, stake-type truck. It had a landscaping sign on the side of the truck, but the actual company name appeared to be scratched out. The license plate was bent under so it was not visible either. Both males were reported to be wearing hoodies on a day that was approximately 80 – 85 degrees.

Rossmoor is not the only community seeing an increase in crime, and we believe the OCSD is working very diligently to reduce crime in our community, but they need our help. Suspicious person reports are up. We have become more aware. But we must also be more diligent in locking our doors, both residential and vehicular, as well as keeping our garage doors closed.

For any non-emergency situations, please call the OCSD at 714-647-7000.