Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You

The West Valley LAPD is hoping to put burglary prevention at the forefront of people's minds this week with its new initiative, "Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You."

Capt. Nick Zingo and Sgt. Rudolph Valadez have put together a list of 30 tips that burglars don't want you to know. From April 1–7, tips will be posted on Nixle, an online information service used by government agencies to get advisories out to the communities they serve.

Property crimes remain a problem for Valley residents, and Encino is no exception. According to Valadez, out of all the communities covered by his division, Encino and Tarzana residents are the victims of the bulk of residential burglaries.

The burglary statistics for the West Valley division of the LAPD show the extent of the problem. According to Valadez, records show that 219 commercial and residential burglaries have been reported as of March 26. While that's a 14 percent drop compared to the same period in 2010 when 254 burglaries were reported, much can be done by both citizens and police alike to further protect property.

"What we're hoping for is education," said Valadez, explaining that the police want to teach residents how to protect themselves from becoming burglary victims.

"The San Fernando Valley is basically the center for property crimes in L.A.. That's where all the property is–that's where all the good stuff is, and bad guys know it," Valadez said.

With the summer weather looming, Valadez said that residents should resist the temptation to keep their windows open while they're at work. Burglars know that houses will most likely be empty during office hours, and that Valley residents generally like to beat the heat by keeping top windows unlocked.

Burglars will take advantage of this knowledge to gain access.

"They'll do the Spiderman thing, get in, and that house will be cleaned out," he said.

You can sign up for Nixle alerts for free by clicking here. Remember to log on this Friday, and click here for the West Valley LAPD's burglary prevention tips.