By MARIE TABELA | Special to the Palisadian-Post
In a sudden reversal in recent trends, crime across Pacific Palisades has jumped by 9 percent over last winter—and that was before the recent rash of burglaries in the Alphabet Streets.
This contrasts with property crime across the city, which rose 1 percent in 2017.
But, as the Palisades is still a relatively safe area within LA, a handful of offenses can distort the official statistics.
And many of those crimes are preventable, LAPD Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore told Pacific Palisades Community Council on Thursday, Feb. 8—usually by locking a door or window, removing tech gadgets from car seats, or installing “Ring” or other CCTV systems.
Moore said LAPD detectives had “solid leads” in much of the spate of recent crime, including the burglaries that were caught on CCTV—although detectives would welcome more footage.
The Alphabet Streets thief and the so-called “Beamer Bandits,” a trio of possibly local young men who cruise around The Village after dark in a black BMW in search of vulnerable vehicles, are top of the Palisades wanted list.
The recent rash of burglaries prompted a community meeting organized by El Medio Bluffs resident Dan Keller, whose car was stolen last year. It attracted 40 very concerned residents.
Thus prompted, PPCC is hosting a community gathering dedicated to crime and fire safety at Mercer Hall within Palisades Charter High School at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6.
The police have also been cracking down on canyon areas where teenagers have been smoking cannabis—it’s still illegal in park areas, and always illegal anywhere for teenagers. They end up cited and probably in trouble with their parents.
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