The Burglars are Back!

This past week, Scarsdale Police reported four burglaries: The first report was from a home on Walworth Avenue near the White Plains border where the home was entered sometime between 5 am on Tuesday 12/4 and 8 am on 12/7. The residents are not sure when the theft of several items of jewelry occurred. On the morning of December 4, the man of the house left the house to go to the gym at 5 am and noticed that the back door was slightly ajar. On 12/5, his wife went to put away her jewelry and noticed that several items in her drawer had been disturbed but she didn't notice anything missing. At 8 am on 12/7, the man found a side door to the house ajar and his wife realized that it had been forced open. At that point, the wife checked her jewelry and realized that two sets of earrings and a platinum chain with a diamond pendant were missing.

The next incident occurred nearby on Greenacres Avenue between 3:00 – 5:10 pm on Friday December 7. The wife returned home with two children at 5:10 pm and found her kitchen door wide open. Mail had been dropped on the stairs and her jewelry box containing numerous items was gone. She quickly left the house with her two children and called the police. Though the home is alarmed, the alarm was not activated at the time and there was no sign of forced entry. The resident was not sure if she locked the dead bolt to the kitchen door. The woman will provide police with a list of the missing items.

Later that evening, between 7:30 and 8:54 pm, police responded to the activation of a burglar alarm on Carthage Road. Since police were already on burglary patrol in that area they arrived on the scene just 43 seconds after receiving the call. They found that a rear patio door was shattered and found a pry mark on the left corner of the door. Police established a perimeter around the house, entered it and found a closed safe dropped on the floor of the family room on the first floor. On the second floor they found open empty jewelry boxes and jewelry thrown on the floor of the master bedroom. Drawers in the master bedroom were also tossed. Police left through the front door of the house was found to be unlocked!

On the afternoon of Saturday December 8 thieves returned to Greenacres and entered a home on Brite Avenue between 11 am and 3:15 pm while the residents were at temple. When the homeowners returned they found that jewelry boxes in the master bedroom had been disturbed and about $1,000 in jewelry was missing. At the time, all doors to the house were locked with the exception to the door to a porch/den area. One of the glass panels on that door was broken and it appears that thieves entered through that door.

We asked Scarsdale Lieutenant Thomas Altizio to comment on this rash of incidents and inquired as to whether or not they were all the work of the same suspect(s). Here is what he shared with us:

I want to emphasize that the Scarsdale Police Department thoroughly investigates every burglary that occurs within the Village. Burglaries can be challenging crimes to investigate because there is usually a lack of physical evidence and witnesses. These investigations will continue for extended periods of time, and involve interaction with multiple law enforcement agencies and investigative resources. We utilize all of the resources available to us as a part of our investigations.

Our investigations into these recent burglaries indicates that this is more than likely the work of more than one individual or group. We have already identified certain patterns within these occurrences, and had already deployed our personnel in the field accordingly. This targeted patrol enabled our officers to respond to a burglar alarm activation on Carthage Road within 43 seconds of receiving the call from the alarm company. That speedy response most likely interrupted the perpetrators, and lessened the actual loss to the homeowner.

To address this recent increase of break ins, the Police Department will be deploying an enhanced patrol presence of both uniformed and undercover officers in the affected areas. We obviously do not want to provide specific details on the deployment of our officers. We will continue to utilize our computerized license plate reader (LPR) system to provide us with information about vehicles traveling through the area.

Despite this enhanced police presence, our officers cannot be in all the areas at all times. That is why we are strongly encouraging residents to lock doors and windows, and activate alarm systems if you have them. Many of the recent burglaries have been crimes of opportunity, where no force was used, and entry was gained through unlocked doors. The more difficult your home is to enter, the more noise that will be made in doing so, and the risk of triggering an alarm in the process are all factors that will make your home less likely to be targeted.

The Police Department also encourages the community to keep a watchful eye on their neighborhood. There is no better deterrent than a neighborhood full of alert residents reporting suspicious activity. We encourage people to report any suspicious activity or persons they observe immediately, so that police officers can respond and investigate the situation. Any residents that may be utilizing video surveillance systems in or around their homes are asked to review the systems for any suspicious activity on Friday December 7th and Saturday December 8th. Suspicious activity should be immediately reported the police by calling 722-1200 or 911 for emergencies.

We appreciate the cooperation of the community in combating these break ins, and are committed to providing the resources necessary to resolve the problem.

This police report is sponsored by Scarsdale Security who does more than just security. Contact them about remote video for your home or business. Call 914-722-2200 or visit their website , http://scarsdalesecurity.com/