LOS ANGELES — A palpable tension hangs over Encino as news of the latest burglary spreads through the San Fernando Valley neighborhood after months of reported break-ins.
It’s all people seem to talk about while walking their dogs or in group text chats with neighbors. Some residents want to form a neighborhood watch, while others are taking quotes from private security companies to patrol the streets outside their multimillion-dollar homes.
At least 10 burglaries were reported in Encino in the last month, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Residents say there have probably been more in this Valley neighborhood, which is home to roughly 60,000 people.
Some in Encino have hired armed guards to sit outside their homes. Others simply want to arm themselves.
“In all my years working and living in Encino, I have never participated in conversations where people said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to go get a gun.’ But now they are,” said Robert Glushon, president of the Encino Property Owners Assn.
Crime statistics indicate that burglars are hitting Encino far harder than other parts of Los Angeles. Citywide, residential burglaries were up 4% from the same period last year, the LAPD told news station KTLA — compared with Encino’s 40% increase south of the 101 Freeway in July.
On Monday, an east Encino resident reported hearing the sound of glass breaking in their home shortly after 12:30 a.m. By the time police arrived at the home on Firmament Avenue, the suspect or suspects were gone. Police logged the incident as a hot prowl, meaning a resident was home during the break-in.
Less than three miles to the west, a resident reported that they’d seen two people around 3 a.m. Tuesday in their home in the 16800 block of Mooncrest Drive, according to the LAPD. Responding officers did not find any suspects.
It’s becoming a familiar pattern for residents of the neighborhood, where break-ins have shown no signs of letting up since last month’s surge.
The LAPD did not respond to requests for comment about the burglaries.
A spokesperson said Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman is “deeply alarmed by the recent cluster of residential break-ins in Encino.”
The LAPD has increased patrols in Encino, and volunteer reserves support officers in the field. And additional investigators are working with the department’s West Valley Division to pursue leads on the burglaries.
“No one should have to live in fear in their own home, and our office is committed to doing everything we can to ensure the safety of all our residents,” Raman’s spokesperson said.
Despite the increase in police patrols, resident Sam Avishay can sense the anxiety among his neighbors, some of whom are talking about hiring a private security company and splitting the cost. He’s wondering whether it would be worth it to purchase a firearm, as some of his neighbors are doing.
“Does that escalate the situation?” Avishay said. “All of this has made me rethink my long-held belief that I should not be a gun owner.”
Resident Stephanie Rosenthal has reached the point of taking pictures of suspicious cars on her street and approaching strangers sitting in their cars.
“We just have to make ourselves present and not let anyone case out the neighborhood,” she said. “You have to be willing to interrogate anyone … if they’re taking chances, so will we.”
One longtime resident, who only provided his first name, Rob, because he was concerned for his family’s safety, recently moved back in with his elderly mother to give her some sense of security.
“Everybody knows what’s happening, and you just walk around having your eyes peeled looking, but not really even knowing what to look for,” he said.
“It’s a little scary for me,” he acknowledged, adding of his mother: “And it’s really scary for her. You just have to be vigilant, because you don’t know which house is going to be hit next.”
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