Some of these restraints involve making businesses and residences less welcoming for criminals. Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) Lt. Joe Gaynor said in a phone interview Wednesday that the driving force for most crooks in search of a looting spot is easy access.
“And it’s really about making yourself less of a target as it applies to your businesses, as it applies to your house, as it applies to your person,” Gaynor said. “It’s doing certain preventative steps to make your place less appealing to the opportunist, because these criminals— that’s what they are— they are looking for an easy opportunity. If you make it more difficult, they won’t commit the crime.”
He said crime numbers for local areas are currently indefinite because there is no official report or database for the 2016 calendar year, but both the LBPD and Signal Hill Police Department (SHPD) utilize crimereports.com, an online crime-mapping tool, to keep day-to-day tallies on crime in the region.
According to Long Beach Police Department records via crimereports.com, the 90807 postal code area that includes Bixby Knolls and Cal Heights has had more than 300 incidents in the past month related to theft, breaking and entering premises, violent robbery and property crimes.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Crime-2.png” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”Signal Hill has had 76 incidents in the last month related to commercial burglary, theft, breaking and entering, property crime and violent robberies. All information is per crimereports.com, an online crime-mapping tool. ” captionposition=”right” revealfx=”off”] SHPD records, per crimereports.com, show 76 crimes in the past month with similar incidents. Over the last six months, there have been 427 such occurrences. During the six-month period, September to October featured the most active burglary-related activities in the city.
Peak hours for crimes in Bixby Knolls, Cal Heights and Signal Hill are in the evening, specifically from 5pm to 8pm, according to the crime-reports website.
The size of each city, neighborhood and county plays a big role in potentiality for misdeeds, Gaynor said.
Businesses leave themselves open to petty crimes, as well— most recently on Nov. 10 when a local suspect was arrested for commercial burglary when he broke into Carl’s Jr., Baja Sonora, Asian Chef, Subway and Wingstop on Atlantic Avenue and Carson Street blocks of Bixby Knolls, as reported by the Signal Tribune.
Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association (BKBIA), said in a phone interview Wednesday that he felt fortunate the cash taken during the incidents was minimal, and that many of those with the eateries, such as Carl’s Jr. and Asian Chef, were ready to go back to work.
“I think everybody just tries to get back to normal as soon as possible and make whatever steps necessary to remedy and hopefully help protect themselves from having that happen again,” Cohn said.
He credits the minimal loss in revenue for these businesses because of the preventative measures the BKBIA recommends. Businesses are encouraged to not have cash in their registers, leave their lights on at night, invest in cameras, leave windows visible so police officers can see what’s happening inside and call 9-1-1 if anything or anyone suspicious is present. He also said that businesses attempt to change their operation hours so criminals don’t take advantage of their routine.
Many of the measures used to alleviate thefts within businesses are what Gaynor encourages residents to practice, as well.
Package deliveries are the most vulnerable to theft, he said. The key to prevention is shipping deliveries to a home when it’s occupied, to a neighbor or to a workplace, because people can just walk by and see the package on the porch and swipe it.
Gaynor cited a study conducted with inmates in Oregon in which the researchers asked how they selected houses to target, and he said they always avoided homes that had lights on, locked doors, cars in the driveway, radio and TV turned on and, mainly, security cameras.
“And the guys in the interview said even if the cameras were fake, they are a deterrent, because, again, they see a camera, and they don’t want to be seen,” Gaynor said. “These are all things you can do. It goes back to making yourself less of a target to the opportunist. These are guys who want to get in and get out, and if you make it a little harder to do so, they won’t target that house and move to a different location.”
The lieutenant added that the LBPD’s North Division Patrol hosts community meetings in the area frequently to share strategies.
“We’re always willing to offer these insights to these people to make it less appealing for the criminal,” he said.
The BKBIA is using its redevelopment funds to add additional security lighting— LED lights— in response to petty crimes, Cohn said. It’s all about keeping institutions proactive and secure.
He said the association helps supplement the efforts of the police departments through the use of its CSI Security Patrol, a service of security personnel that routinely patrols the district day and night.
Cohn said whether it’s March or June or any other month throughout the year, the focus is to keep the Long Beach and Signal Hill community vigilant.
“Safety for the community and the district is priority No. 1,” he said. “[…] I wish we could say that we don’t have anything happening here— that’s obviously our goal— but we definitely have fewer [crimes] because we have such a presence with these security measures that we are taking.”
