Bird Rock Community Council got a crash course in crime awareness and prevention at its monthly meeting for March, as San Diego Police Department community liaison Lt. Larry Hesselgesser and Det. Julie Adams clued local planners and residents in on how to protect themselves — and their properties — from thieves.
Hesselgesser noted times are changing — and so are crimes.
“We’re in a day and age where there’s more electronics,” he said, noting that’s good because “it’s helping us catch the bad guys.” But it’s also bad, he added, because the nature of crime is changing and expanding.
“There’s a lot more electronic identity theft now,” Hesselgesser said.
The occasion for the police briefing involved two recent incidents in Bird Rock wherein homes were burglarized in daytime by crooks who gained entry via open doors or windows.
Hesselgesser noted electronic devices, like smartphones with camera and video-making capabilities, are helping law enforcement capture criminals and build legal cases against them.
“iPad cameras are great in helping identify the bad guys,” he said, pointing out that such cameras can be used to catalog valuables like jewelry or serial numbers for devices, needed for stolen items to be returned to their owners in the event of recovery.
Complaints from local residents about door-to-door solicitors, some of whom have been suspected of casing the Bird Rock area, are increasing. On this topic, Hesselgesser counseled residents to “trust their gut instincts.”
“Ask them what they’re selling, keep an eye on them,” he said. “Ask for their city-issued permits.”
The lieutenant noted it’s also important for people to use combination or touchpad locks to safeguard their properties and valuables.
He said a common scam of burglars involves working in tandem, with one distracting a person and taking them outside their home while the accomplice gains access to the house and cases it. Hesselgesser noted that if a crook gains access to the side or back of someone’s property, “that person is as good as in your house.”
Adams, of the police department’s Northern Division, which covers La Jolla, agreed crimes are becoming more electronic, noting identity theft is an increasingly big problem.
“I handled a case of credit card theft where thieves stole them off people’s doorsteps, and when we caught them, there were more than 100 victims,” she said.
Residents were advised to be aware of things they see in the neighborhood that just don’t seem right.
“If something seems weird to you, write it down,” Hesselgesser said. “Give a good description; get a picture. When that goes to a detective, all that helps put the puzzle together to solve these crimes.”
In other matters:
• Alison Don of Council President Sherri Lightner’s office said the First District councilmember wants to reimplement a new ordinance banning single-use plastic bags now that a statewide initiative has been stalled. “It’s a priority for Councilmember Lightner, and hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later,” said Don.
• Reporting on Bird Rock’s Maintenance Assessment District, which maintains landscaped roundabouts, board member Barbara Dunbar warned that heavy rains cause temporary flooding problems at the intersection of Forward and La Jolla Boulevard.
“When they (city) put in the roundabout, there was no storm drain,” Dunbar said, noting that that causes flooding in the intersection. She added that the water “drains away fairly quickly.”
The next Bird Rock Community Council meeting will be Tuesday, April 7, at 6 p.m. at Bird Rock Oyster & Sushi Bar, 5752 La Jolla Blvd.