Spike in Burglaries Prompts Townhall Meeting

A string of burglaries, thefts and vandalism in Seal Beach has prompted police to call a Townhall meeting Thursday night to combat the crime trend.

Since October, there have been 15 residential burglaries and thefts in the Hill and Cove neighborhoods and 13 vehicle burglaries or thefts, according to the Seal Beach Police Department.

Furthermore, McGaugh Elementary has suffered several incidents of vandalism ranging from broken windows, eggs being thrown, and a fire set inside one of the bathrooms over the weekend, said Seal Beach Police Sgt. Steve Bowles.

Thursday’s meeting is designed to make people aware of the problems and encourage them to be vigilant and call police when they see something suspicious.

“We are not trying to push vigilantism,” Bowles said. “I want people to be educated. I want people to be aware. We just want people to look, and if you see something, report it.”

Of all the residential burglaries, thieves gained access through open doors or windows 13 times, by smashing a glass door once, and by prying open windows four times. Similarly, the vast majority of vehicle thefts involved unlocked vehicles.

Susan DiGregorio, a 30-year Seal Beach resident didn’t worry much about crime in her quiet neighborhood until March when a burglar climbed through her kitchen window and ransacked her house.

“I left my kitchen window open between 12:30 and 4:30 in the afternoon. They pushed the screen in,” said DiGregorio. “I have two dogs, but that didn’t stop them.”

The thieves also broke into her neighbor’s house that same day by smashing the sliding glass door.

Since then, DiGregorio has installed an alarm system in her mother’s Seal Beach home and organized neighbors for a neighborhood watch program. The police department is encouraging residents to join the new Neighbor 4 Neighbor program, which trains residents to take care of one another in case of emergencies and to be on the look out for suspicious activity.

“People will often say I didn’t know I should call the police about that. I didn’t want to bother them. Bu that’s what we are here for,” said Bowles.

Police are warning people be on the look out for door-to-door salesman who use their work as a cover to scout houses. One common trick for burglars is to knock on the door, and then break in if no one answers, said Bowles. A pair of burglars in Rossmoor were caught doing that last year when they mistakenly thought no one was home and broke in to find the homeowner ready to confront them.

Not all such solicitations are scams, but there are tips that should help, said Bowles. He suggests being certain that all door-to-door solicitors have the required Seal Beach business license and always researching the company with the Better Business Bureau before writing a check. The research can be conducted for free at www.bbb.org.In addition to door-to-door solicitors, thieves may also pose as tree trimmers, magazine salespersons, gardeners, carpet cleaning services or florists, police warned.

Police are asking that anyone who is solicited by a door-to-door solicitor or sees a door–to-door solicitor in your neighborhood to immediately call the Seal Beach Police Department non-emergency dispatch center at 562-594-7232 to report this activity.

Thursday’s townhall meeting is at 6: 30 p.m. McGaugh Elementary.

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- City News Service contributed to this report.