Full Notification

Residential burglaries have been a hot topic lately, especially in the part of town that we call “Area 4”.  Area 4 is shown on the attached map, and includes Corona del Mar, Newport Coast, Crystal Cove, Cameo Shores, Cameo Highlands, Spyglass Hill, Seaview, Newport Ridge, Harbor Ridge, Harbor Hill, Harbor View, and Seawind.
 
Overall, property crimes (such as burglaries and thefts) are down in this area and across town in general.  But what about residential burglaries in Area 4?  From January 1 to August 7, we have seen a total of six more this year, compared to the same timeframe last year. 
 
Ok, so what do those numbers mean?  For perspective, that amounts to one additional burglary every five weeks (on average). 
 
So, what is happening in response?  Well, we are pleased to note that arrests in the “burgling and thieving” category are up by 10 arrests year-to-date, which is a staggering 90.9% increase.  As with all property crimes, the NBPD follows a multi-pronged approach, with proactive field activity from our patrol officers, investigative work from our detectives, and crime prevention strategies… with all of you.
 
We will list some important Home Security Tips below.  You can also find our Home Security Checklist here, which you can use to conduct a security assessment on your home to see what security measures you can take to “harden the target”.  We hope that this message helps spread important information to our community members.  Please feel free to share and forward this message to your friends and neighbors.
 
Home Security Tips

• Always lock your windows and doors when you go out, even if for only a few minutes.
• If you return home and find your pedestrian door that leads into your home locked, and you are certain that you left it unlocked, DO NOT GO INSIDE! 
  • Call 9-1-1.  Burglars often lock this door to slow down a victim, allowing the burglar extra time to get out of the home before the resident enters.

• If your home is equipped with an alarm, always activate it even if you’re only going out for a short walk.
  • Consider adding a motion sensor in your master bedroom/bathroom, which will activate the alarm if someone comes in through a glass window or door without opening it.
• Always keep your front and rear porch lights on from dusk to dawn and use motion detector lighting along the sides of your home or areas with little foot traffic.
• Use timers on indoor lamps to give the appearance that you are home.
• Adjust window coverings for optimal privacy while maintaining good visibility outside.
• If your garage door has a remote shutoff button on the wall-mounted control, located in the garage, consider locking the door nightly. This will prevent your garage door from being opened remotely.
• If you have a safe, make sure that it is properly bolted to concrete so that it cannot be easily removed.
• Always close and lock your safe and never leave a key or combination out or in an easy to find location (i.e. office, nightstand, etc).
• When you leave on vacation, remember to call the Police Department to request a “Vacation Check” at 949-644-3681. Also, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your newspaper and mail while you are away.
• Report all suspicious activity by calling the Newport Beach Police Department at 949-644-3717.