Property Crimes

Regional law enforcement agencies performed a sweep of several cities Thursday in response to a recent spike in property crimes, arresting eight people and seizing three weapons. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department joined forces with Glendale police as well as state parole and probation authorities. During the sweep, which began at 7 a.m., deputies and officers checked 44 locations in La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, Sunland, Tujunga, Lake View Terrace, Pasadena and Altadena.

GLENDALE — Property-related crimes rose sharply during the first six months of 2010, while violent crimes largely dropped, according to the latest Glendale police crime statistics. Property crimes, including thefts and home and vehicle burglaries, jumped to 1,941 between January and June, up from 1,784 for the same period last year, according to the police figures. Petty thefts saw the largest increase with 747 through June, up from 648 compared with the same period last year.

GLENDALE — The number of property crimes has decreased during the first half of the year, but the rate of vehicle burglaries continues to climb as the recession deepens, according to the latest figures from the Glendale Police Department. For the six-month period starting in January — which includes a projection through July — property crimes, including auto burglary, grand theft and petty theft, have dropped to 252 incidents compared with 262 during the same period last year.

GLENDALE — Crimes of opportunity such as burglary and theft increased last year in the city, and police fear such crimes will continue to increase if the economy worsens. Property crimes, including burglary, auto burglary, auto theft, grand theft, arson and petty theft, went from 3,676 in 2007 to 4,103 last year in Glendale, which is a 12% increase, according to the Glendale Police Department’s annual crime statistics. But violent crimes such as robbery and assault decreased from 375 in 2007 to 351 last year, a drop of 6%, according to the statistics.

GLENDALE ? Property crimes in Glendale rose last year while neighboring cities, such as Los Angeles and Pasadena, saw a decrease in the same category, according to the FBI?s latest batch of crime statistics. Property crimes last year, including larceny, theft, burglary and vehicle theft, jumped from 3,667 in 2007 to 4,105, was likely attributable to a rise in the number of criminals pushed out of Los Angeles and into Glendale, interim Police Chief Ron De Pompa said. ?The displacement of crime is a very real problem for Glendale,?

A new long-awaited regional crime laboratory could begin processing vital ballistic analysis and DNA evidence for hundreds of unsolved property crimes as early as May, police said Thursday. Local police and city officials on Thursday introduced the Verdugo Regional Crime Laboratory that authorities said will allow quicker processing of crime scene evidence in Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena. “We could use DNA early on to intercede as rapidly as possible,” Glendale Police Ron De Pompa said at the news conference.

A 21-year-old woman and a reputed gang member who was recently released on unsupervised parole were charged Wednesday with receiving stolen property, officials said. Ryan Ogden, 24, of Canoga Park and Christina Holliday, 21, of Tujunga both face two felony counts of receiving stolen property, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint. The pair, along with a 16-year-old girl, were likely driving around Glendale and breaking into cars early Monday before they were stopped by police, Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Local violent crimes decreased in 2010, while the number of thefts increased slightly in Burbank and Glendale, according to preliminary crime reports from the FBI — a trend police officials say could be harder to stymie because of the court-mandated early release of thousands of state prisoners. The declining trend for violent offenses reflects similar decreases throughout the nation, according to the FBI report released this week. While property crimes decreased nationally, theft-related offenses in Burbank climbed from 2,663 in 2009 to 2,687 in 2010.

VIOLENT CRIMES 2008 2007       Homicide 3 2 Rape 21 12 Robbery  151  166  Aggravated Assault 176 195   TOTAL   351   375        PROPERTY CRIMES     ...

A new long-awaited regional crime laboratory could begin processing vital ballistic analysis and DNA evidence for hundreds of unsolved property crimes as early as May, police said Thursday. Local police and city officials on Thursday introduced the Verdugo Regional Crime Laboratory that authorities said will allow quicker processing of crime scene evidence in Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena. “We could use DNA early on to intercede as rapidly as possible,” Glendale Police Ron De Pompa said at the news conference.

Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 11 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database . Five neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Toluca Lake (A) was the most unusual, recording three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.3 over the last three months. Studio City (C) topped the list of eight neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded 34 property crimes compared with its weekly average of 19.9 over the last three months.

The Glendale Police Department has redirected $650,000 to deal with parolees and individuals on probation since the state-mandated release of some prison inmates began two years ago, officials said this week. The department's Special Enforcement Detail has been fully dedicated to monitoring former inmates and identifying related crime trends. That's a far cry from the detail's original duties of preventive patrolling, Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. At Tuesday's Glendale City Council meeting, Glendale Police Chief Ron De Pompa attributed the move to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's release of low-risk offenders without parole supervision and the state's realignment of its prison system.

Glendale officers arrested fewer people last year, but police attribute that more to fewer boots being on the ground than less crime being committed. A significant number of police position vacancies combined with fewer calls for service and decreased crime rates meant fewer people getting arrested in 2011, Glendale Police Chief Ron De Pompa said. Officers arrested 8,514 people in 2011, down from 9,962 in 2010 and 10,843 in 2009, according to an annual Glendale Police Department report.

Regional law enforcement agencies performed a sweep of several cities Thursday in response to a recent spike in property crimes, arresting eight people and seizing three weapons. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department joined forces with Glendale police as well as state parole and probation authorities. During the sweep, which began at 7 a.m., deputies and officers checked 44 locations in La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, Sunland, Tujunga, Lake View Terrace, Pasadena and Altadena.

The overall crime rate in Glendale and Burbank dropped in 2011, a trend police credited to targeted enforcement efforts and strong community involvement. Serious crimes decreased 7% in Glendale and 6% in Burbank, according to the latest statistics. Violent crimes include homicide, rape, aggravated assault and robbery, while the property crimes include burglary, thefts, auto thefts and arson. “The key is to be able to intervene rapidly,” Glendale Police Chief Ron DePompa said of spotting crime trends before they become more serious.

A 21-year-old woman and a reputed gang member who was recently released on unsupervised parole were charged Wednesday with receiving stolen property, officials said. Ryan Ogden, 24, of Canoga Park and Christina Holliday, 21, of Tujunga both face two felony counts of receiving stolen property, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint. The pair, along with a 16-year-old girl, were likely driving around Glendale and breaking into cars early Monday before they were stopped by police, Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

A man walking down Glenwood Road, laptop in hand, is robbed at gunpoint by two men who pull up on a motorcycle. An armed gunman barges into a T-Mobile store on Foothill Boulevard, ransacking the floor as employees and customers huddle on the floor. He makes off with a cell phone. The brazen robberies are just a couple of the more recent examples of a troubling trend in Glendale, where Police Chief Ron De Pompa said the impact of the court-ordered release of state prison inmates to alleviate overcrowding could be rearing its ugly head.

Local violent crimes decreased in 2010, while the number of thefts increased slightly in Burbank and Glendale, according to preliminary crime reports from the FBI — a trend police officials say could be harder to stymie because of the court-mandated early release of thousands of state prisoners. The declining trend for violent offenses reflects similar decreases throughout the nation, according to the FBI report released this week. While property crimes decreased nationally, theft-related offenses in Burbank climbed from 2,663 in 2009 to 2,687 in 2010.

GLENDALE — The number of violent and property crimes in Glendale dropped last year, but making a significant dent in the number of thefts continues to be a challenge. Violent crimes, which include homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, fell from 302 incidents in 2009 to 277 last year for a collective 8% drop, according to the Glendale Police Department year-end figures. While violent crimes saw a large dip, property crimes — including burglary, auto burglary and thefts, arson and grand and petty theft — dropped only 1%, from 3,761 in 2009 to 3,725 last year, according to the department.