Recent Daytime Home Burglaries in Whittier

The Board received the following email from CPL John Corbett of the Frederick Police Department in response to our original story. We are posting it here with his permission. We have invited CPL Corbett to our annual meeting taking place on Tuesday evening (11/22/11) at 7pm at Whittier Elementary to further discuss this issue and answer our questions.

Hello,
I am the Ass't Supervisor of the Directed Patrol Unit of the Frederick Police Department. A resident sent an email to the Chief that led us to look at this website. We are concerned about the potential for confusion and unfounded reports which could result from the possibly misleading information contained in the website in regards to recent burglaries in Whittier and elsewhere in the county. Specifically, I am referring to work trucks with names on the side, suspects wearing work clothes with names on them, suspects posing as salespeople, and crowbars being used to pry open doors. We do not have any reports or intelligence that would support any of this information and are concerned that your readers may be unnecessarily alarmed by the innocent presence of work trucks in their neighborhood. We have received at least one email from someone who has interpreted this information as factual. If there is anyone who can verify this information, we would very much like to interview them. In the meantime, we are working closely with the Sheriff's Office and our Criminal Investigation Division to develop suspect information and follow up on leads. We have been deploying in an undercover capacity for weeks now in Whittier in reference to a series of thefts from motor vehicles there and in nearby Walnut Ridge. We are transitioning to operations aimed directly at the current burglary series. At this point, we have four reported burglaries in the city, two of them in Whittier, which have been identified through crime analysis to be part of the larger burglary series occurring in the county. If there have been more in Whittier, they have gone unreported. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns, or want clarification. We really like what your website is trying to do and would like to be a part of it by having the opportunity to vet crime prevention information you would like to print. As always, we will be attending the monthly NAC 1 meetings at Whittier Elementary, where we present a report of our work in your neighborhood and answer questions about our work. I can be reached at xxxxxxx. Please leave a return number if I am not at my desk and I will return your call.

Thanks,

CPL John Corbett
Frederick Police Department

Below is the original story, posted online on 11/17/11:

There have been several daytime home burglaries in Whittier and Clover Hill recently. There are common elements to these burglaries, including:

1. They occur around mid-morning when no one is home.
2. They break into the house by either forcing a door open or throwing an item through a glass to gain entry.
3. They bring a large vehicle, park in the driveway, load the vehicle through the garage, and depart, leaving the garage door open.
4. The presence of large dogs does not discourage the robbers.
5. They steal a variety of objects, including electronics, jewelry, and other items they find after a search they feel are of value.

We have no additional information from the police on these break-ins, but here are some general inferences and suggestions:

1. The burglars are likely dressed in some sort of work clothing or uniform and their vehicle must be marked as some matching work vehicle because they have not attracted attention and must approach the house to determine if anyone is home. They likely ring the doorbell and provide some sort of sales pitch if someone answers. Be suspicious of anyone that approaches your house or rings your door, even if they appear to be workers, delivery personnel, utility personnel, etc.
2. They are bold, prying open a front door with a crowbar and throwing a rock through a rear sliding glass door, so be aware of what is going on around your house at your neighbors and call the police at 911 with any suspicions.
3. If you come home and see your garage door open, be aware that this might indicate a break in.
4. Again, everyone should be vigilant in looking for any suspicious vehicles driving the neighborhood, even if they are labeled as some sort of work vehicle. Call the police if you have any concerns.
5. If you have a burglar alarm, make use of it full-time and not just when you are away for extended periods of time.

Here are several articles that may be of help as you prepare to guard against a robbery:

• Prepare and Protect Your Home Against Burglary
• Home Sweet Home: Keeping Your Nest Safe & Secure During Summer Vacation
• Deter Burglars With Home Window Security
• Improve Home Security With Landscaping Ideas
• 3 Things To Help Prevent Home Burglary
• Home Burglary Preparation

Here is a home inventory spreadsheet that you can download and update with your items in case you need to report a theft to your insurance provider.

If you have any other suggestions or articles you would like to see posted here, please email us with that information.