Recent School Parking Lot Burglaries Prompts Pleasanton Police to Remind Community to 'Hide It, Lock It or Lose It'

By AUTUMN JOHNSON

It takes less than two seconds to lock a car but it takes hours, days and even months to recover from the potential loss following a car burglary.

In late January, a car parked on the Hearst Elementary school campus was brazenly burglarized when someone broke the driver side window and stole a purse, Pleasanton Police officials confirmed. The burglary happened sometime just before the lunch hour during the school day.

Police officials say there were 31 auto burglaries in December, mainly occurring in parking lots and streets around the Stoneridge Shopping Center or the Hacienda business park. According to police records, 42 percent of those thefts were from cars that were left unlocked.

“We all lead busy lives and at times we could use a reminder to ‘Hide It, Lock It or Lose It’,” Community Service Officer Shannon Revel-Whitaker said. “The Pleasanton Police Department offers window clings with a ‘Lock It’ reminder. These are available (along with other ‘Hide It, Lock It, or Lose It’ materials) at the front desk of the police department.”

The campus burglaries prompted the Pleasanton Unified School District to issue the following reminder to families:

There have recently been thefts from cars parked on or near our campuses and [we] want you all to be aware of the message from Pleasanton Police. Please see the message below...

In recent weeks, the Pleasanton Police Department has seen an increase in daytime residential burglaries occurring between 10 am and 4 pm. The typical scenario is that one or more subjects approach a home, ring the doorbell, and wait for a response. If no one answers, the subject(s) wait outside for a short time and then either force entry through a side door (usually through the side garage door) or the front door. If confronted, these subjects might be dressed in business attire and have a cover story such as door-to-door sales or marketing. It is likely the subjects have a getaway car parked in the area which is also likely to be occupied by a subject acting as a lookout. Residents are asked to stay alert to strange cars or people in their neighborhood. It is critical that residents call the police immediately, before calling anyone else, when reporting these circumstances.

Please ensure all doors and windows are locked, including side garage doors and second story windows. Even if home during the day, it is important to keep the garage door closed. Any vehicles should always be locked and DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING OF VALUE IN THE CAR, including phones, purses, briefcases and computers.

For additional information on preventing thefts and burglaries, please refer to the Pleasanton police Department website http://www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/gov/depts/police/prevention/default.asp, or call our crime prevention unit at 925-931-5242.

Subscribe to News Alerts and a Daily Email Newsletter for Pleasanton Patch

Photo courtesy Pleasanton Police

Also on Patch:

• VIDEO: CHP Struggles with Distraught Jumper as He Dangles From Bridge
• Community Rallies to Collect Donations to Pay for Services of Livermore Teen Killed on I-580
• Cookie Sales at An All-Time High as Girl Scout Sets Up Shop In Front of SF Pot Dispensary
• Bay Area’s ‘Serial Stowaway’ Marilyn Hartman Does It Again!
• How Much Did the Recent Storms Help the CA Drought?
• Victim Ejected From 580 Wreck, Airlifted to Hospital
• Police Release Sketch of Man Who Sexually Assaulted 10-Year-Old
• PHOTO: President Obama Wears T-Shirt Supporting Dublin Teen Battling Cancer
• Pleasanton Police Arrest Man on Suspicion of Making Criminal Threats