Full Notification

The El Cerrito Police Department would like to highlight some basic crime prevention tips to help reduce risk for home and automobile burglaries this holiday season.

Home Burglary
- Always use every available lock on door and windows when leaving your home, even when leaving the house to run to the store.
- If your home has an alarm system, use it...even when you are at home.
- Remove items from around the outside of your home which could be used to break in (i.e. extension ladder, tools, loose rocks/bricks)
- If possible secure the gate the backyard with a padlock to keep out unwanted visitors
- Turn on exterior lighting at night...not just motion activated lights

Automobile Burglary
- Make sure your vehicle doors are always locked and the windows rolled up completely
- Remove spare change, small electronics, sensitive documents (i.e. tax forms) and anything else that appears valuable from inside your vehicle
- If possible, park your vehicle in a well lit area during hours of darkness...possibly directly under a street light
- If you have a car alarm or other theft deterrent (i.e. steering wheel club), use the deterrent every time you leave your vehicle unattended

Finally, as we move through the final months of the year there will be a dramatic increase in packages being delivered to homes in El Cerrito. Please consider having holiday packages sent to your work or held at an alternative location for you to pick-up at a later date.

And as always...if you see a suspicious person or vehicle in your neighborhood and/or witness a crime, call Police to report it immediately. You can call Police Dispatch at 510-233-1214