Criminals from Out of Town Coming Into Pleasanton Looking for an Easy Score

No doubt there is a criminal element from out of town coming into Pleasanton with premeditated planning and thought to burglarize Pleasanton businesses, homes and cars.

Certainly, criminal elements exist already in Pleasanton and there are criminal elements from other nearby cities that come into Pleasanton with the sole purpose for coming here is to steal from residents.

We as residents can turn the tables on this criminal element coming into our community by being alert, assessing our home and property security safe guards and methodically applying and putting in place safe guards that will foil criminals.

Pleasanton has an excellent police force. But they cannot be everywhere 24 hours a day. I suggest that everyone arm themselves with a digital camera, program your cell phones and home phones with the dispatch number, (925-931-5100).

Secure the gates on your property that are entrances to your back yard. You can purchase hardware for less than five dollars per gate to assure each gate is secure.

A potential burglar will walk through the neighborhood, or park a car nearby, then ring the door bell. When the door bell gets no response, the burglar enters through an unsecured gate, and being unobserved, enters the home through a window or open, unlocked garage door.

When you observe suspicious people in your neighborhood walking or driving, use your digital cameras and fire away. A good camera starts at around $150. I purchased a Panasonic for $200; it also has video. Each photo is 5 mega bytes. This will allow magnification many times over to read a license plate number, etc.

Typically the Pleasanton police log each week lists approximately forty instances of criminal activity for the week. This activity includes theft, auto burglary, burglary, vandalism, identity theft, home burglary, drugs and alcohol, criminal thefts, battery.

Of the approximately 40 instances of criminal activity reported each week, approximately forty percent of the criminal activity takes place at and in the immediate neighborhoods.

The criminal element coming into Pleasanton from the west apparently exits at the first freeway off ramp into Pleasanton which is the Foothill Road off ramp. Which may explain partly why nearly forty percent of the criminal activity happens at Stoneridge Mall and in the immediate neighborhoods.

All of us must remain vigilant, no matter what neighborhood we live in. We can turn the tables on these criminals with securing our properties, using our cameras, and calling the police dispatcher when we observe suspicious activity in our neighborhoods.

If there are senior residents reading this post and concerned about your back yard security and are not physically able, or cannot afford the expense of a professional inspection and installation. I will voluntarily install secure hardware on your back yard gates. You just pay for the hardware.

If you want to reach me, send an email to tanya.rose@patch.com. Ask Tanya to forward the email to me. I will contact you.