Darleene Barrientos
Police are warning the public of an increase of thefts from lockers
and benches at the Brand Boulevard 24 Hour Fitness health club.
Police officials say they have no leads about why incidents of
theft have risen at the 240 N. Brand Blvd. location.
"It's been an ongoing problem at the location," said Sgt. Ernie
Garcia of the burglary division. "Over the last two months, there's
been at least two incidents a week."
A request for comment from the 24 Hour Fitness location was
transferred to the club's public-relations firm, Ketchum P.R. in San
Francisco, which released a statement.
"24 Hour Fitness regrets any loss of our members' personal
property and works closely with our internal loss prevention team and
local authorities to fully investigate any theft situation," the firm
released.
Porters and club staff patrol locker rooms two to four times an
hour to maintain the rooms and watch for suspicious activity, the
release stated.
The majority of the thefts occurred in the men's locker room, but
there have been some thefts from the women's locker room, Garcia
said.
Mainly cash and credit cards are being stolen from lockers, Garcia
said.
"Sometimes the thief will remove the credit card from the victim's
wallet and replace it with a different credit card," Garcia said.
Police and 24 Hour Fitness personnel recommend leaving valuables
at home.
"Theft could happen at any place where you leave your things,"
Garcia said.
