HOLMBY NEWS
January 19, 2015
From the Holmby Westwood Property Owners Association, serving the Holmby Westwood community since 1960.
1. Valet Parking Survey and Input
2. LAPD Crime Report
3. Car Break-Ins
4. Phone Scam Alert
5. E-Waste Drive on January 31
6. Skylight Gardens Friends & Family Event
7. HWPOA Communication and Ad Policy
8. Resident Ads
9. HWPOA Contact Information
1. VALET PARKING SURVEY AND INPUT
Thank you to everyone who filled out a survey or attended the board meeting last week to provide input regarding the valet parking problem in HWPOA. If you did not receive a survey or were unable to attend the meeting, you may still give your opinion to the LAPD as follows:
Via e-mail: PCenforcement@lapd.lacity.org
Via phone: (213) 996-1270
Via mail:
Police HQ Building
Attn: Commission Investigations
100 W. 1st St., Suite 147
Los Angeles, CA 90012
2. LAPD CRIME REPORT
Protect your home from Residential Burglary. A common MO that has been occurring is suspects who typically knock or ring the doorbell to verify if the resident is home. When there is no answer, the suspects enter the side or rear of the residence and force entry by smashing the window or door glass to gain entry. Suspects are targeting the master bed and bath areas of the home and removing Jewelry and small electronics.
If you are home when someone knocks on the door or rings the doorbell, announce yourself to let them know that someone is home but do not open the door unless you verify who they are and you know the person at the door.
Another Burglary trend that has been occurring is construction thefts and break ins. Items of value being targeted are construction tools, equipment, appliances and building materials. If you observe after hours suspicious activity at a construction site or major remodel location, call 911 immediately!
The Los Angeles Police Department recommends the following tips to help secure your home and harden the target.
• ALARMS: Ensure that security alarms are in good working order and set when not at home whether leaving for 10 minutes or 10 hours.
• ALARM RESPONSE: Consider a private patrol alarm response to enhance your current alarm and security system. In many cases private patrols are already contracted in many neighborhoods or associations.
• SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS: Web based surveillance camera systems will allow homeowners to view and monitor activity from any smartphone or computer which are motion sensor activated and will alert your device when there is activity. They also lend valuable information and clues to the investigation.
• MOTION SENSOR LIGHTING: Install motion sensor lighting around your home to illuminate normally dark areas around the home. This will also alert residents to outside activity around the home when motion lights are activated.
• GATES: Ensure that all gates and access points to the side or rear of the residence are locked and secured.
• DOOR AND WINDOW LOCKS: Ensure that all doors and windows are locked and secured with sturdy secured locks and that there are second locking mechanisms securing all doors and windows as a second line of defense.
• MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU’RE HOME…Even when you’re not.
• NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: Monitor suspicious activities in your neighborhood and alert your neighbors. Should the activity escalate to a crime about to occur, crime in progress or crime that just occurred, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY!
• SECURITY PATROLS: Consider after hours on site security at construction sites or major remodel projects. Many neighborhoods contract with private security patrols which monitor neighborhoods and can quickly respond to burglar alarm activations or reports of suspicious activity when they occur.
You may access the crime mapping feature listed below on a day to day basis to obtain up to date crime information for your area or any other area in the city.
To sign up for E-Policing, simply go to the E-Policing link below and enter your address and your email address. You will receive crime updates and Community Alert information from the Los Angeles Police Department. You may also view recent crimes that have occurred in the area on the LAPD website. To receive text alerts when critical information is sent, sign up for Nixle. Feel free to print this out or share this information.
Contact me directly should you have any questions or concerns.
EMERGENCY: 911
NON-EMERGENCY: 1-877-275-5273
All other City Services: 311
LAPD Website: http://www.lapdonline.org/
E-Policing: http://www.lapdonline.org/e_policing
Crime Statistics and Maps: http://www.lapdonline.org/crime_mapping_and_compstat
Nixle: www.nixle.com
Christopher Ragsdale
Senior Lead Officer
West Los Angeles Community Police Station
Office: 310-444-0741
Cell: 213-305-5895
Email: 26690@lapd.lacity.org
Website: www.lapdonline.org
Current Trending Analysis:
Residential Burglaries: North of Wilshire Blvd. (1 crime), North of Sunset Blvd. (1 crime). Auto related crimes (Break Ins and Stolen Vehicles): North of Santa Monica Blvd. (4 crimes), North of Sunset Blvd. (2 crimes). Package Thefts appear to be trending throughout the area. Packages being delivered and left unattended in accessible areas are being stolen. Please arrange to have packages dropped off in a secure location or receivable location.
Protect yourself from becoming a victim and crime statistic. Ensure that you remove all visible items and valuables from inside of your vehicle. Your car, regardless of whether it’s locked and secured or not, is not a safe or secure place to leave ANYTHING! Remember, Lock It, Hide It, Keep It!
3. CAR BREAK-INS
There have been several car break-ins recently in the Holmby Westwood area. One resident with video surveillance reported that at 1:20 AM one night last week, cameras caught a man in a baseball cap and hood walking down the street (300 block of Comstock) and trying to open car doors on the street and in driveways. Another resident reported a car break-in on Manning and Le Conte. Please lock your cars and take appropriate precautions, as mentioned in the LAPD report above.
4. PHONE SCAM ALERT
A resident recently reported a prank phone call that may have been a phone scam. When the resident answered the phone, the caller said “Hello, Grandma” and attempted to engage the resident. The resident suspected something and asked for the caller’s phone number, at which point the caller replied with an offensive remark. While this may have been a prank phone call, it’s also possible that the caller was attempting to scam the resident for money or personal information.
If you receive a suspicious phone call/solicitation that you believe is not from a real government agency, please contact the Department of Consumer Affairs at (800) 593-8222. You can also file a complaint on the DCA website at www.dca.lacounty.gov .
5. E-WASTE DRIVE ON JANUARY 31
St. Paul the Apostle School in Westwood is conducting an e-Waste drive on Saturday, January 31st from 9 am to 3 pm:
6. SKYLIGHT GARDENS FRIENDS & FAMILY EVENT
HWPOA likes to support local businesses in Westwood Village:
7. HWPOA COMMUNICATION AND AD POLICY
Please direct all comments, questions or issues regarding the Holmby News to hwpoa@aol.com
Ads for plumbers, housekeepers, garage sales, etc. will be posted in the weekly News. Emergency situations such as coyote sightings, lost and found pets, traffic alerts and similar situations will continue to be published during the week as received.
When placing an ad, please send to hwpoa@aol.com for the Holmby News moderator to review. Responses to ads should be directed to the ad placer, not to HWPOA.
8. RESIDENT ADS
CABINET REPAIR
We are in need of person who does good cabinet repairs for a cabinet that will not close. If you have a recommendation of such a person have the call Rick Wilson @ 310-474-6404.
——————————————————————
SEEKING HOUSEKEEPER
I am looking for a once a week person who speaks a little English. My Spanish is not great ..but I understand quite a bit. My phone number is 310 508-4668. Or, you can email me@ Mickey.keys@gmail.com.
We have a 2 story house with just my husband and I.
Would like a reference please.
Thank you…
Mickey
9. HWPOA CONTACT INFORMATION
HOLMBY WESTWOOD PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
914 Westwood Blvd. Suite 573
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-470-1785
Email: hwpoa@aol.com
Web site: www.holmbywestwoodpoa.org