Ben Godar
A recent string of burglaries targeting small businesses in the
city might be related, police say.
Ten businesses had their doors or windows forced open the night of
Oct. 27, and many had cash stolen from registers. Seven of the
break-ins occurred at a strip mall in the 300 block of North Verdugo
Road, two were on East Broadway and one was on East Colorado Street.
At least two more burglaries that occurred since Oct. 27 -- one on
South Brand Boulevard and the other on South Central Avenue -- are
similar to the earlier ones, police said.
Glendale Police Sgt. Ernie Garcia said based on the methods used,
they believe the crimes are linked.
In most of the cases, a small amount of cash was the only thing
taken, and in some cases the owners reported nothing missing. Garcia
had no estimate of the total amount of cash taken during the crimes.
Garcia said the robberies are fairly typical of most commercial
burglaries.
"The volume is what makes these unusual," he said.
For business owners, the break-ins have meant a reduced sense of
security.
Hovy Truong, owner Hovy's Hair Salon, said the Oct. 27 break-in
was the second time his business has been burglarized since August.
He has an alarm and said he doesn't know what else he can do to
prevent future incidents.
"I'm afraid something will happen again," Truong said. "Probably
next time they will get in with a person here."
Rossy Bent, an employee at the Lantern Cafe, said the experience
of being burglarized was a frightening one.
"We were very scared," she said. "The burglar broke two doors; the
lock disappeared."
Garcia said some of the most important security equipment for
small businesses are deterrents like exterior lighting. For those who
can afford alarms, he recommended audible systems.
Glendale Police spokesman Sgt. Kirk Palmer said members of the
department's Community Police Partnership program are available to
meet with business owners who have security concerns. The program can
be reached at 548-4015.
