Goodnight Topanga! #9PM
In an effort to stem property crime, LAPD’s Topanga Police Division will be sending nightly Twitter and Nixle message as reminders to all residents to secure their homes and cars before they go to bed.
“It’s our way of tucking in our residents with a safety reminder before they go to bed,” explained Capt. Maureen Ryan, commanding officer of the Topanga Police Division. “Our goal is to get residents to set 9 PM alarms on their phones and watches as reminders to lock doors and windows and pull in cars, if possible”
The majority of car burglaries occur overnight, when owners are sleeping, with cars parked on the street. Pulling a car into a carport, driveway, or garage dramatically reduces the incidence of a break in. Moreover, removing every item out of the passenger compartment takes away a crook’s incentive to risk arrest and break into YOUR car.
The incidence of overnight, hot-prowl burglaries present a danger to residents, too. The forgotten window, back door, or slider make it too easy for burglars to come in your house while you sleep.
Residents should also use the 9PM reminder to turn on porch lights. Police recommend residents install inexpensive timers on lamps and radios that go on and off through the night, making it look as if someone is home, even when you’re out.
Video doorbells are also useful safety gadgets that can make it look to a burglar that you are home, but can’t come to the door.
For 2017, property crimes in the Topanga Area dropped 2.5%, with burglaries dropping over 4% car burglaries dropping over 5%, but car theft increasing 1%.
“If we can encourage and remind our residents to make crooks’ jobs more difficult by hardening the target, that is, YOUR homes and cars, we might see property crimes drop again,” Capt. Ryan added. “Look for our nightly Goodnight Topanga! reminders, and let’s make our community even safer in 2018!”
Capt. Maureen Ryan
LAPD Topanga Police Division
