Auto theft is one of the most common crimes on the Westside. Westside Today spoke with Senior Lead Officer for Brentwood, Officer Phillip Enbody, about how we can protect our valuables.
WT: Have auto break-ins always been a problem?
Officer Phillip Enbody (PE): I checked with some of our senior and retired officers and this has been a problem as least as far back as the fifties.
WT: Who are the perpetrators?
PE: The perpetrators come from all over, including San Bernardino, Ventura and Laguna. They come here because there are nicer cars, nicer toys in the cars. Nice toys with ice cars, they come back. If there is a pair of sunglasses left in the car, it is a nice pair of sunglasses; there are iPods and GPS monitors, cell phones and laptops in nice cars.
These people come specifically to steal on the Westside, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Cheviot Hills, Pacific Palisades and West L.A.
WT: Which cars are most likely to get broken into?
PE: We have a lot of condos and apartments south of San Vicente and north of Wilshire, and that means high density. More people means that there are more cars.
If there are 20 or 30 cars in a complex, the shopping is a lot better. Its not a particular make of car, its what’s in the car that is attractive.
WT: Are cars safer in secure garages or on the street?
PE: Locked garages are easy to get into. Someone walks in after a car leaves or enters. When residents use garage door openers, they typically do not wait until the door closes to see if anyone follows them into the garage. They continue on to their parking spot. Most of these thieves have no contact with residents as they mostly operate at night.
If they enter a garage, there are more nice cars with more nice things in them and no one is there at night.
WT: What can we do to avoid getting our cars broken into?
PE: Captain Eaton says that if you want something stolen, leave it in your car.
Let me sum it up: First, thieves come to this neighborhood because of the quality of the car and the quality of the stuff in the car.
Secondly, the way to stop them is through arrests, but they return to this neighborhood again after they are released.
So, first, do not leave anything in your cars.
Beware of people coming and going in your neighborhood and your garage.
Make sure that the entry is safely closed behind you before pulling away from the entry.
