Tag Archives: burglaries

Tips to Help Prevent a Burglary

LEAFF Law Enforcement and Fire Protection

L.E.A.F.F. Eastvale

By LEAFF

Eastvale – In light of a few residential burglaries that have occurred in the city and the repercussions of AB109, 12 basic steps to prevent your house from being burglarized can be taken.

1. Perform routine tasks and clean up the outside of your property on a regular basis to show you are occupying your home. Empty your mailbox on a regular basis, collect old newspapers from your driveway, and pick up discarded trash that has landed in your yard.

2. Install timed lights or leave a radio or television playing if you are traveling or will be absent from your home for long periods of time. You may want to enlist a trusted friend or neighbor to keep an eye on your property and to collect your mail while you are traveling away from home.

3. Lock all your doors, windows, garages, and sheds when you leave your home to make it difficult for burglars to enter without attracting the attention of others. Test your locks durability by trying to open your doors and windows from the outside. Install sturdy deadbolt locks on your doors to prevent thieves from breaking in easily. If you have double front doors, use bungee cords to connect the door knobs to prevent thieves from kicking the door in. Remove the red knob tied to the string on your garage door track lock. This prevents hooking the knob and unlocking your garage door.

4. Make your doors and windows visible to the neighborhood and to the street. Cut away tree branches or high shrubbery that can hide burglars when they are breaking and entering your home.

5. Store your valuables away from windows or doors where they can easily be seen from the outside. You may want to hang privacy curtains over windows to make it difficult for others to see inside. Close shutters, blinds and pull curtains to prevent thieves from peering into your house.

6. Hide or destroy any outside trash that may advertise your personal belongings to the rest of your neighborhood. For example, you may want to break down or destroy boxes that contained valuable, expensive electronic devices you may have just purchased, such as a large television or stereo system.

7. Leave spare house keys with trusted friends, family, or neighbors instead of placing them outside on your property. Burglars may be familiar with common hiding places for spare keys.

8. Park your vehicles inside a closed garage to make it difficult for burglars to determine if you are home or not.

9. Install a home alarm system to deter burglars and to alarm authorities if there is a break-in. Consult with your home insurance provider to seek discounts for alarm systems. Place home alarm signs in the front yard to alert burglars that your home has an alarm.

10. Stray away from routine schedules to make it more difficult for burglars to predict when you will be absent from your home.

11. Only use fully shielded neighbor-friendly lighting that is equipped with motion or infrared detectors. Don’t create a nuisance or safety hazard with glaring lights that impair vision. Crime Prevention through Environmental Design recommends, “Lighting that does not create glare, light trespass, or deep shadows. Lighting only has potential to act as a deterrent if witnesses are present and can counter-productively attract attention to a target and assist a burglar. FBI statistics demonstrate that the majority of residential break-ins occur during daylight hours.”

12. Alter your outside landscaping to make it difficult for burglars to navigate your property without being seen or heard. You may want to surround your windows or home with loose gravel, stones, or rocks that will make noise when stepped on. Place plants or shrubbery under your windows or on your property that are difficult to navigate around, such as rose bushes with lots of thorns.

Diamond Bar: Hotel To Replace Honda, DB Bans MJ

By Ariel Carmona, Jr.

Diamond Bar – The Diamond Bar City Council approved several resolutions at the Jan. 21 meeting dealing with crucial development decisions in the City, including a proposal to establish a zoning district for the possible construction of a hotel at the site formerly known as the Honda Dealership, and an emergency ordinance amending the City’s Municipal Code prohibiting the operation and establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries in order to comply with Federal laws, among other items.

During the public hearing portion of the meeting, the Council approved the first reading of Ordinance 1(2014), which would establish a new overlay zone district to promote and facilitate the development of a prominent site, which was formerly the location of the Honda Dealership and a Burger King drive-thru restaurant, located across the 60 Freeway off-ramp, in a manner staff reports describe as, “Consistent with the City Council’s adopted goals and objectives since 2009.”

The City’s Staff Report to the Council specified the City’s plans for redevelopment, including specific plans to revitalize the Burger King and Honda property areas, “In a way that provides the greatest net benefit to the community.” The staff determined, based on the criteria set forth in the Council’s goals and objectives, that the highest and best use for the overlay would be a hotel.

“Any future reuse of the land would require a hotel to be the anchor use,” said Greg Gobman, Community Development Director. “And, any secondary uses on that site would be limited to those prescribed in the Development Code,” he added.
City staff told the Council that a world-renowned consultant took several factors into account to determine what would be the most optimal use of the property. According to the report, two major, mutually exclusive projects have been approved next to the Honda site: The Industry Business Center (IBC), and an NFL Stadium. Under the IBC scenario, a business park including office and industrial space would be built out, while the stadium project would include an ancillary office, medical and retail uses. Neither option would include a hotel.

The staff concluded that based upon the analysis of the consultant, the highest and best use of the Honda property is one with a hotel anchor, with project-specific characteristics dependent upon other factors. “The Honda site itself is literally set aside from the rest of the City. That’s also true figuratively in that its physical isolation and its prominent location at the convergence of two freeways is where we see 200,000 vehicles passing by each day, and in addition to this site being located right at existing and future on/off ramps, there is tremendous opportunity to develop this site in ways that really are not possible elsewhere,” said Gobman.

After hearing feedback from a resident opposing the proposed hotel development option, the Council weighed in on the issue. “I think the opportunity there is to capture the between $600,000 and $1 million in transient occupancy taxes, so I think it makes sense to take that action on this property,” said Mayor Pro Tem, Steve Tye.

In other actions, the Council voted 5-0 to adopt an emergency ordinance prohibiting the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries in the City. Previously, the City’s code permitted one use, but City Manager, James DeStefano, said that code may be in conflict with Federal law. He pointed out that the City does not have any dispensaries currently operating.
According to staff reports made public by the City, the conflict between State and Federal laws has led to many Southern California cities, including Whittier, San Dimas, Fullerton, and other cities in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, to place restrictions on medical marijuana dispensaries, as a permitted land use or place a moratorium on the establishment of such a use.

In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 215, which enabled seriously ill patients to legally possess, use, and cultivate marijuana for medicinal purposes under State law. Subsequently, SB420 was enacted by the State Legislature to clarify the scope of the Act, and to allow local jurisdictions like Diamond Bar to adopt and enforce rules and regulations consistent with the Act.

The emergency ordinance prohibits the establishment or operation of what the City deems retail marijuana dispensaries for a period of 45 days and ultimately provides the City time to adopt an ordinance permanently prohibiting medical marijuana dispensaries as a permitted use under the City’s zoning laws.

During the subcommittee reports part of the meeting, Mayor Carol Herrera said that with a lot of people being out of work, there was a minor rash of burglaries during the holiday season. “We are intersected by two major freeways, so we are a relatively easy target,” said Herrera. “I have said before that we have an outstanding Sheriff’s Department that is on the alert to watch out for all of you”, she added. Herrera said officers noticed burglary tools and merchandise in a vehicle during two recent traffic stops. “That’s further evidence that our Sheriff’s Department is doing an outstanding job looking out for the homeowners, and for all of us.”

The next meeting of the Diamond Bar City Council is scheduled for Feb. 4, 6:30 p.m., in the Government Center South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Main Auditorium, located at 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar.