Danville Experiences Flurry of Home Burglaries
Danville Police Department (DPD) officials are increasing their efforts to curtail an increase in property crimes occurring in Town. Police Chief Steve Simpkins said that in 2015, Danville saw an increase in property crimes over 2014 and steps are being taken to catch the criminals involved.
The DPD is working to overcome the increase in crime through several methods. Extra police patrols have been added during peak periods in which crimes have been reported. DPD has also temporarily reallocated officers to work solely on property crimes. In addition, the department is exploring the use of high tech solutions, such as license plate recognition cameras.
“This level of property crime will not be tolerated,” said Simpkins. “We will be doing everything we can to catch these criminals and bring this situation to an end.”
Chief Simpkins asks Town residents to work with the police department in crime prevention.
“It is increasingly important for residents to keep their eyes open in their neighborhoods. Work together, watch out for one another, and if you see something that seems out of place, contact us immediately,” Simpkins said.
Over the last weekend, five burglaries and one attempted burglary were reported at various locations in Danville. In the failed attempt, a homeowner’s alarm system foiled the break-in.
In some instances, the criminals are going up to homes and knocking on the door. If a person answers, they typically ask for something innocuous, such as directions. If no one is home, they kick in the door and quickly grab any small valuables that can be easily transported. Simpkins said that understanding how the burglaries are happening can help residents know when to reach out to police.
“We have had residents tell us they were hesitant to call because they weren’t sure whether they were seeing something criminal,” Simpkins stated. “We would rather you call. If you see something, say something. We would rather get the call and check it out than take the chance of letting the bad guys get away.”
Another way residents can work in partnership with the police is by registering home camera systems with the Danville Police. If a crime occurs in a neighborhood where there is a registered system, police can examine the footage to look for possible suspects.
Residents can form Neighborhood Watch groups and, when going out of Town, request Vacation Home Checks from the Danville Police Department.
At around 10PM Friday, officers were dispatched to an alarm on Mariposa Ct. Upon arrival, an officer & a neighbor noticed a door had been forcefully damaged in an effort to gain entry into the residence. Officers made entry into the residence with a police K9 and were unable to locate a potential burglary suspect.
On Saturday at around 3PM, Danville PD responded to two reports of residential burglaries (that had occurred at an unknown time) on Camino Amigo & Sinnet Ct (in the area of St Helena Dr). The front door of one of those residences had also been damaged and opened.
On Saturday around 7PM, another residential burglary was reported on Ferncroft Ct (also area of St Helena Dr). The homeowner reported they discovered their home broken into upon returning home.
Around 10PM Saturday, officers responded to a residential burglar alarm activation on Camino Amigo Dr. They arrived to find yet another front door to a residence kicked in, and an apparent residential burglary.
At around 7AM Sunday, a home sitter for a residence on St Norbert Dr arrived to find the front door kicked in, immediately reported a residential burglary to Danville PD. After that, another residential burglary was reported on St Helena Dr
For more information, contact Lt. Allan Shields at (925) 314-3700 or ashields@danville.ca.gov.
