Full Notification

You may have seen our team of Community Resource Officers out and about the neighborhood last night working from the Department's mobile command post. Each night this week we will be selecting two locations near or within high rates of auto burglary with a number of measures in mind: providing extra patrols, leafleting vehicles with prevention information, working with community members and groups to target specific problem spots and issues through outreach, and making environmental recommendations to reduce the frequency of crime.

We will be in the Lakeside Park area this afternoon and evening; I'll post a reply to this message once we identify a specific location suitable for parking and operations. I encourage you to stop by, say hello, and join us with a packet of leaflets if you are so inclined. As a reminder:

Your North Oakland Community Resource team of officers is working on concurrent projects to reduce auto burglary in key locations. As a reminder:

1) Don’t leave valuables in your car. That sounds like common sense, but drivers and passengers do leave items of value in plain view every day. If you leave valuable items visible in your car, your car is automatically a target.

2) If you must leave valuable items in your car while out and about, place items out of sight before reaching your destination or move them inconspicuously out of view.

3) Once home, unload your valuables immediately. Do not store valuables in your car any longer than necessary, and certainly never overnight.

4) Try to park in busy, well-lighted areas, or in your garage (if you have one).

5) Raise your windows and lock ALL of your vehicle’s doors even if you plan to be gone for only a brief time. Every week, items are stolen from unlocked vehicles where the owner expected to be away for “just a second.” Thieves often target vehicles at gas stations or parents dropping their children off at daycare centers and schools.

6) Set any alarm or anti-theft device. If you have one, use it! Many people believe that car alarms no longer make a difference, but they can be an effective deterrent to an auto burglar - especially when fellow community members look out for one another and call police when appropriate.

7) Don’t think your dark tinted windows will hide your valuables. Thieves often use flashlights to see through tint, and after-market tint is handy to keep all the broken glass in one “sheet” when they break out your window.

8) Report suspicious activity consistent with actions commonly associated with auto burglars: Persons looking into parked cars, "jiggling" door handles, surreptitiously using flashlights, or avoiding detection by passerby and vehicles.

Sincerely, - Chris