Safety in Numbers

As always, it is a good idea to shop with friends or family when possible, particularly at night. The “buddy system” is most effect in deterring would be criminals from targeting victims. Safety in numbers is the name of the game.

Parking

When choosing a place to park, one should look for spaces near lighted areas and in plain view of the store and other shoppers. Criminals do not like to be seen by people or surveillance cameras. Have keys in hand and be ready to unlock and enter the vehicle swiftly with a plan to lock doors. If approached prior to getting in your vehicle, change directions and head back to an area where others can be alerted.

Vigilance

Be observant, alert. Upon arrival and prior to exiting your vehicle, take the time to look around. If you see someone loitering, be suspicious and do not hesitate to report the activity to police, store security or other employees. When exiting the store, pause for just a few seconds near the doorway and look around. If there is someone waiting for a potential victim, they are likely waiting in the wings for the opportunity to swoop by and snatch a purse from the unsuspecting customer. If you see someone that just doesn’t fit the scene or makes you uneasy, go back inside and report it to someone. Trust your instincts!

Assistance

When in doubt about the surroundings, ask for a store employee or security to escort you to your car. There is no shame in asking for assistance and stores are generally happy to do it.

Purses & Valuables

What’s in your purse? One should consider reviewing what valuables are kept in the purse. Only those items essential to your shopping trip should make the trip. Far too often the victim has a multitude of credits cards, cash and various forms of I.D. Try trimming back on these items to minimize the potential loss and risk of identity theft. If you must carry a purse, wear it high on the shoulder and when possible, conceal it from view with a jacket or sweater drawn over it. It’s harder to steal what can’t be seen or isn’t there.

Have A Plan

In the event someone does take your purse, don’t fight over it or give chase. Being injured is not worth the replaceable contents of your purse. Should this happen, make lots of noise, scream and yell help, thief. Point in the direction of the suspect, but do not give chase, again the danger outweighs the loss of item. Try to obtain a complete description of the suspect, vehicles and direction of travel and write it down. This will assist law enforcement in catching the bad guys and the recovering loss. Of course, go back into the nearest place of safety and call police immediately via 9-1-1. If dialing from a cell phone, it is best to have the Police Department’s direct number programmed into your phone. This will save time, as most cell phone 9-1-1 calls must be rerouted to the appropriate agency.

Pasadena Police Dispatch Non-Emergency Line (626) 744-4241.

Take Notice of Suspicious Vehicles

The recent attempted terrorist attack in New York reminds us once again that taking notice of suspicious vehicles-and reporting them-can be critical in preventing structural damage, injury and loss of life.

On a balmy, busy Saturday night last month, a crude incendiary device was discovered in a smoking Nissan Pathfinder in Times Square. Police were called to the scene by an alert street vendor who noticed the smoke. Inside the vehicle, authorities found propane, gasoline, fireworks and two clocks with batteries. Police determined that the device was in the process of detonating when it was discovered, but that it had malfunctioned.

No doubt luck-that the device didn’t go off because the man who assembled it wasn’t very skilled-played a role in avoiding a potentially deadly event. But what ultimately foiled the attack was the vigilance of an “ordinary citizen” who noticed something unusual about the vehicle and immediately reported his suspicions to the authorities.

Something is Just Not Right

So, what is it that makes a vehicle suspicious? Clearly, an S.U.V. with smoke coming out of it raised a red flag, but most clues that a vehicle might be suspicious are a bit more subtle.

Suspicious vehicles can come in all shapes, sizes and colors, but the one defining characteristic they all share is that they seem “out of place.” Some other indicators to watch for include a car, van or vehicle that:

• Emits an odd odor of chemicals, fuel, fertilizer or gunpowder
• Doesn’t “fit” its surroundings-e.g., too pricey or too beat up, a panel truck in an area usually occupied by passenger cars
• Has missing license plates-or an older vehicle with new or temporary tags
• Is sagging on its springs which could indicate a load of explosives
• Is parked awkwardly or parked in an unauthorized place
• Moves slowly and repeatedly through an area
• Has tinted windows or otherwise blocked view inside
• Has been left in the same spot for an unusually long period of time
• Is left idling in an unusual spot or unusual way (e.g., door ajar or window open)
• Occupants are seen leaving in a hurried or strange manner

Most suspicious-looking vehicles turn out to be false alarms. In fact, in the days and weeks following the Times Square event, New York City police responded to several suspicious-vehicle calls-all of which turned out to be non-threatening. But it’s safer not to assume there is no risk. If you observe a vehicle with one or more of the above indicators, report it to the authorities immediately.

Five Senses are Enough to Spot Potential Trouble

Some say law enforcement and security personnel have a “sixth sense” when it comes to spotting trouble before it happens. But there is nothing supernatural about it. What sets these professionals apart is training and experience-that and frequent, thorough patrols of their environment that give insight into what is usual, and what is not.

Alert security officers on patrol and at access control points may be the first to detect a suspicious vehicle near or at a client site. But, as the street vendor in Times Square proved, anyone with a keen understanding of his or her surroundings can learn to detect when something-or someone-seems out of place.

A burglary occurred in the 2200 block of Dudley, south of BR, this week.

Someone entered the garage around 7-9 a.m.  They took things, then entered the house.  They took jewelry and a laptop.

What makes this dangerous is that the burglar(s) was/were there while a child was at home asleep after the owner had gone to work.

Our belief is that the burglar was someone with knowledge of the family’s pattern in the morning.  The mother had left for work and their usual time, and the child normally wouldn’t have been home, but had a late school start that day.

The other point, that should be a lesson to all of us, is that the homeowner always leaves their house unlocked.  The burglar(s) may have known this.

Many of us have lived in Brigden Ranch for decades.  It has always been, and continues to be, a safe neighborhood.  But we should all take precautions to ensure the safety of our homes, our belongings, and our family.

Please check our website from time to time to learn more about what’s happening in Brigden Ranch.  And please ask your neighbors to send us their email address so we can keep them posted.

This last point is particularly important because several of the addresses on our list are being returned as undeliverable.  We know some of these folks are still around, but maybe they’ve changed their email address.

Have a great weekend.

Donn Dufford
President
Brigden Ranch

Unfortunately, as with much of the information found on the Web, the raw data provided needs some explanation to be correctly understood. At first glance, all of the pin points on the map might make it appear as if Pasadena is suffering from a huge number of crimes. This isn’t the case.

This tool allows you to hone in on areas around your home, work place or school. However, it doesn’t easily allow for pinpointing crimes that have actually occurred within Brigden Ranch proper (a much smaller area). The tool also doesn’t spell out exactly what a particular crime actually was, whether the criminal was arrested, whether the District Attorney acted upon the case or whether it was dropped, and other important information needed to draw logical conclusions about the safety of Brigden Ranch, and Pasadena.

Another drawback to this new tool is that it doesn’t start plotting crimes until November 2, 2009, and does not compare statistics with past history. Also, the time period seems too specific (it appears to be only four months back from the current date.)

That given, here are some statistics you may find useful. They include Brigden Ranch proper, along with a half-mile radius from the center of Brigden Ranch.

Let’s start by defining Brigden Ranch Neighborhood Association as Casa Grande Street on the south, Galbreth Road on the north, North Allen Avenue on the west and North Martelo Road on the east.

According to the Pasadena Police Department, only 11 crimes were reported during the four months between Nov 2, 2009 and March 10, 2010 within Brigden Ranch.

Those crimes were: Two reports of graffiti on Allen, both the same day, so apparently by the same individual(s). Petty theft in the 2100 block of Queensberry. Public intoxication in the 1900 block of Queensberry (two at the same location), and one in the 2100 block of Brigden. Two residential burglaries (one in the 2300 block of Queensberry, and one in the 2300 block of Woodlyn). Two vehicle burglaries (one in the 1900 block of Queensberry and one in the 2100 block of Casa Grande).

If you believe there were other crimes, they may not have been reported to the PPD, and/or a formal report may not have been taken and a case number assigned.

Note there were no crimes on a person, or violent crimes.

In other words, your Brigden Ranch neighborhood is pretty darn safe. (BUT it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t set up Neighborhood Watches and know your neighbors and their schedules. To date, only two sets of homeowners within Brigden Ranch, and one immediately outside have

By comparison, there were 33 crimes within a half-mile radius of the 2200 block of Brigden (approximately Allen on the west, Buena Vista on the east (east of Altadena Drive), Orange Grove on the south, and just south of New York on the north). This includes Brigden Ranch as well as areas adjacent.

There were 122 crimes within a one-mile radius (approximately Hill on the west, Eaton Canyon Golf Course on the east, the 210 Freeway on the south, and Meadowbrook Road and Glen Canyon Road on the north). Within 2 miles, there were 167 crimes between Dec. 1, 2009 and March 10, 2010 (approximately Rosemead on the east, Los Robles on the west, California on the south and the foothills to the north).

Two other web sites are available to the public. The general PPD site:

http://cityofpasadena.net/Police/ where you can click on the “e-policing tool bar” to reach the above site. And, another where you can subscribe to emails from the PPD and other areas policing agencies.

http://www.nixle.com We haven’t found this service to be of much use, other than to find out when area police departments are running sobriety checkpoints (but not where).

It appears that’s good timing. I wanted to alert you to the following.

I’ve spent the past couple hours dealing with the police and lookiing at burglary suspects. A teen tried to break into my neighbor’s house about 1:00 p.m. today … and I’m looking right out the window at him. I went after him, but he and another kid (the spotter) got away. The police are looking for them.

Teens (15-17). Black. Dark complexion. About 5′10″ 150 lbs. Short, buzz-type haircuts. One wearing black jeans and black short-sleeve top, the other black jeans and white short-sleeve top. One riding a bike.

They (the burglars) found five houses in a row with no cars in driveways. Figured no one was home. Walked down long driveway into back yard. Tried to pull screen off open window in kitchen. Failed. Pulled screen off another open window but couldn’t get the window up. Tried on my side of neighbor’s house and didn’t realize I was home.

Not only did they try this house, but apparently tried another earlier in the morning but were frightened off.

Watch our web site www.brigdenranch.org and our newsletter for more information.

In the meantime, keep your doors and windows locked.