Police warn residents to keep valuables out of view
There has been a spike to the number of burglaries in the
downtown area since the start of the month, and the Hollister
Police Department is warning residents about keeping their
belongings out of view when they leave vehicles unattended.
Police warn residents to keep valuables out of view
There has been a spike to the number of burglaries in the downtown area since the start of the month, and the Hollister Police Department is warning residents about keeping their belongings out of view when they leave vehicles unattended.
Since Jan. 1, there have been 12 break-in burglaries in the downtown corridor, an increase over usual activity for the period, said Sgt. David Westrick, the police department’s spokesman.
The burglaries have ranged from break-in burglaries of various parked vehicles to businesses having doors vandalized during late night or early morning hours.
Many of them have been similar in nature, with vehicles’ windows being smashed and visible items being taken from them – commonly referred to as a “smash and grab.” Others have involved businesses such as Metropolis on Saturday night having its front door kicked in – a vehicle outside the business also had its window smashed – and the Hollister Shoes store across the street getting the glass front door smashed with a large rock.
The areas being hit are generally in the downtown area, though the burglaries have occurred both in parking lots near businesses – outside Johnny’s Bar & Grill there were a handful of break-ins reported on a single day about two weeks ago – and on streets as well.
Westrick tracked the number of burglaries in the downtown area – from the 300 block to the 800 block along San Benito Street, and on side streets over to Sally Street on the east side and Monterey Street on west side of the main drag.
He said the totals are a “little bit higher” than last year and he noted how there has been no specific pattern to the crimes.
“They’re just trying to look for unattended vehicles and they’re looking to see if there are any valuables,” Westrick said.
He pointed out how some of the items commonly taken from vehicles include iPods, laptops and purses. He said residents should be cognizant of not leaving such valuables out in sight.
“You don’t want to become a victim because you haven’t thought of doing all the things you need to do,” he said.
The Hollister Downtown Association has been in contact with the police department over the recent trend.
The HDA’s Sharlene Van Rooy noted how the organization is sending out an e-mail to its members making them aware of the burglaries and alerting them to keep belongings out of sight.
