Police/Fire

Theft

Nov. 8, 3:05 p.m.: 100 block of Giffin Road, Los Altos

Nov. 8, 1:03 p.m.: 2400 block of West El Camino Real, Mountain View

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier

Warning signs dissuade Century Cinema 16 customers from leaving valuables within their vehicles in the Mountain View theater parking lot.

Mountain View Police detectives are seeking additional victims who fell prey to a spree of car burglaries committed last week within a movie theater parking lot.

Car burglars ransacked at least 19 vehicles parked at the Century Cinema 16 theater Friday (Nov. 9) on North Shoreline Avenue. Detectives believe additional victims have yet to file police reports, so that tally is expected to climb, according to police spokeswoman Katie Nelson.

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
Attendees of a Oct. 30 wildfire forum at Los Altos Hills Town Hall pose questions to panelists.

The 2017 North Bay wildfires blazed across the state more than a year ago, but last week’s Los Altos Hills “Understanding Wildfire” forum provided constant reminders of their devastation.

The meeting, hosted by the Open Space Committee at town hall Oct. 30, presented a panel of experts from agencies including the Santa Clara County Fire Department, the Santa Clara County Fire Safe Council, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and PG&E. Approximately 60 members of the public attended.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and the cities and police departments of Los Altos, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and Santa Clara hosted an inaugural North County Gun Buyback event at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church Sept. 29.

Los Altos police arrested five teenagers Sept. 28 after a resident reported a possible forced entry at a neighbor’s house on the 200 block of Galli Drive.

The resident called police at 12:17 p.m. to alert them to suspicious activity, providing dispatchers with the suspects’ description and an associated vehicle.

Although the vast majority of stolen vehicles recovered in Los Altos were taken from surrounding cities, the city’s police department is still stressing how important it is for residents to lock their cars and hide any valuables inside.

LAPD Sgt. Ryan Burke said CrimeReports shows a handful of stolen vehicles and thefts from vehicles in Los Altos in recent months. However, incidents such as a vehicle discovered Aug. 1 on Second Street (stolen from San Jose) and another found Aug. 11 at the intersection of Grant Road and Foothill Expressway (stolen from the Salinas area) are proof of a crime local law enforcement continuously sees: vehicle stops that lead to identifying and apprehending a suspect occupying someone else’s car after officers run the license plate.

The police department released its latest Crime Prevention News Sept. 11 with “Prevent Car Break-Ins” topping the newsletter. The first tip? “Always lock your doors and close your windows.”

Burke said many incidents of theft of or from vehicles result from leaving the doors unlocked. Locking doors and making sure the alarm is operational, if the car has one, are the first steps in preventing what the department calls “a crime of opportunity.” That’s how a theft that occurred on Marvin Avenue Sept. 2 could have been prevented, Burke added.

The Crime Prevention News also reminds residents to hide valuables such as wallets, cellphones, purses and shopping bags. If valuables must remain in the car, stash them in a hidden area like the trunk. Hide the valuables before arriving at your destination in case thieves are watching you and your car.

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