I went through a month’s worth of the Walnut Creek police department’s Daily Bulletin and found eight incidents between February 8 and March 8 that might fall into the kind of home break-ins that readers were talking about.
Here's one such example from the Daily Bulletin involving a March 3 burglary on Stallion Court: The call came in just after 5 p.m. when someone arrived home to find the back sliding glass door shattered and opened. The break-in occurred sometimes between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m..The master bedroom had been ransacked, and the thief had stolen jewelry.
These burglaries took place both in Lakewood but also in nearby neighborhoods southeast of downtown, including n the Walnut Heights area and close to the Walnut Creek Open Space. Like the above example, the crimes all involved a resident arriving home, usually late in the afternoon, to find a back glass door open or smashed. In almost all the cases, the thief went through the house, tearing through drawers and closets. Items stolen mostly included jewelry, but also cameras, TVs, a laptop, and a double-barrel shotgun.
Captain Timothy Schultz in early March the department began noticing “a trend in that area, took steps to deal with it, and arrested someone they believe was responsible for events” related to that trend.
He added that the department had compared crime statistics for the first two months of 2010 to those of the first two months of 2009 and “found no significant increase” in home burglaries.
Schultz added: “We encourage residents to become aware of what is going on in their neighborhood. One way they can increase their awareness is by becoming an active member of our Neighborhood Watch Program. Those wishing to join an existing group, or start a new group can call our Community Policing Team at (925) 943-5844. We also strongly encourage residents to call the police when they see something they believe is suspicious.” He also said residents can check out the home security tips on the department’s website.
