Full Notification

Last night, SMPD received a report of a house alarm signaling around 9:15pm. Upon arrival, officers saw movement inside the house and made contact with the homeowner via telephone. The homeowner told us they were home (when they were in fact not home) and so we cleared the scene. A few minutes later it was discovered the home had actually been burglarized, so we responded back to the residence. When asked about why we were told the residents were home, the homeowner claimed they did not believe it was the police calling them. These costly minutes allowed for the home to be burglarized and for the bad guy to get away.

While it is understandable to question whether the police are calling, there are ways to confirm this. We would encourage everyone to clarify this if ever in question. When SMPD calls, the call usually will come across as a "blocked number". Upon speaking to an officer or dispatcher, please ask for their name and badge number. You can also ask to call us back. Our non-emergency dispatch number is (650)522-7700. When calling to confirm, our dispatchers will answer any questions you may have. (In a worst case scenario, feel free to dial 9-1-1 to confirm as well. This too will work, but we want to keep this line clear for emergencies.)

There have been occasions when our phone number has been spoofed. But as stated before, a legit call should come across as blocked, so if you see the above number on your caller ID, then it is safe to assume a spoofed number has called. UNLESS...you have call blocking, to which we need to unblock our number in order for you to receive the call.

It is unfortunate we were unable to locate this bad guy, but we ask for anyone in the area of Lakewood Circle who may have seen anything suspicious or a dark colored vehicle driving slowly in the area around 9-9:30pm last night to contact us.

Please always keep doors and windows locked, and if your home is alarmed, please make sure to answer the phone is your alarm company is calling to confirm your presence. Installation of a security camera system is also helpful and can be registered with us.

https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/2726/Security-Camera-Registration