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By Ken, February 8, 2010 1:55 pm

A White Oaks block captain passed this article to us, and it’s worth reading if you carry a cell phone or use a GPS navigation device in your vehicle.

GPS: IS IT A ROADMAP TO YOUR HOUSE?

A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.

When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen.

The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.

Something to consider if you have a GPS — don’t put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station or police department) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

MOBILE PHONES — A GOLD MINE OF INFORMATION FOR CROOKS

This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet… etc…was stolen.

Twenty minutes later when she called her hubby from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says “I received your text asking about our PIN number and I’ve replied a little while ago.”

When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text “hubby” in the contact list and got ahold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral of the lesson:

– Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list.

– Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc….

– Very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.

Also, when your friends or family members are texting you to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don’t reach them, be very careful about going places to meet “family and friends” who text you.

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By Administrator, February 7, 2010 1:27 pm

The San Carlos Police Department has released its 2009 Dashboard, a report that benchmarks types of crimes, such as violent crimes, property crimes, and burglary crimes, against other local cities’ results for the same time period.

For 2009, violent crimes had a much higher likelihood of being solved than did burglary or property crimes.

See the full report here.

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By Administrator, January 30, 2010 11:41 am

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste … and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

Continue reading '21 Things Your Burglar Won’t Tell You'»

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By Ken, January 28, 2010 11:36 am

Teen salespeople linked to crimes; employers elude law with shady tactics

San Mateo Daily News
January 28, 2010

BY WILL OREMUS
Daily News Staff Writer

At 5:39 p.m. on Jan. 6, on the 300 block of Louis Road, Palo Alto police arrested a 19-year-old woman from St. Clair Shores, Mich., who was selling magazines door-to-door. She had already been warned and cited for soliciting without a permit, a violation of Palo Alto’s municipal code.

So this time, the officers took her into custody and booked her into Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose.

It might sound like a harsh penalty just for selling magazines, but police Sgt. Wayne Benitez said the department is trying to send a message to the young woman’s employer.

Magazine solicitation, Benitez explained, isn’t always as benign as it sounds. In many cases the salespeople have been linked to other, more serious crimes. And often they’re victims of exploitation themselves, lured from troubled homes with promises of easy money by fly-bynight companies that treat them poorly and cut them loose if they don’t perform.

The problem isn’t new, but authorities in at least two Peninsula cities said it seems to be on the rise. As in Palo Alto, police in San Carlos said they’re starting to get tougher on offenders in hopes of stemming the practice.

Continue reading 'Palo Alto Going After “Magazine” Solicitors'»

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By Administrator, January 11, 2010 7:49 am

Neighbors to the east of White Oaks have also formed an organization:  Greater East San Carlos, or GESC.  This groups focuses on many of the same items as the White Oaks Neighborhood Organization, but also includes school issues and  parking problems.

This group is holding an emergency meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, January 12.

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By Administrator, December 31, 2009 2:28 pm

The San Carlos Police Department has posted news of two armed robberies within the last two days.

1. On December 29, 2009 at approximately 7:45pm, an armed robbery occurred at the Best Buy store located at 1127 Industrial Road in San Carlos. See photo below.
2. On December 29, 2009 at approximately 9:45pm, an attempted armed robbery occurred at the Taqueria Mi Ranchito Mexican restaurant located at 660 Laurel Street in downtown San Carlos.

Surveillance cameras at Best Buy captured these images

The news releases describe two different male suspects in each incident.   Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact the San Carlos Police Department at (650) 802-4277.

One wonders if on the heels of the of the KTVU story that two armed robberies occur a week later, and on the same day.

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By Administrator, December 23, 2009 8:58 am

KTVU’s December 16 newscast featured a spot on the budget cuts facing San Carlos. A little disconcerting is the police saying that San Carlos is going to become a police-free zone.

Audio and video are out of sync in this clip.

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By Administrator, December 22, 2009 11:15 pm

San Jose police have launched a pilot project equipping officers with head-mounted cameras to record contacts with civilians.

Officers will activate the cameras, about the size of a Bluetooth device and attached by a headband above the ear, every time they respond or make contact with a person. At the end of the officer’s shift, the recording will be downloaded to a central server.

Read entire story in the San Jose Mercury News.

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By Administrator, November 29, 2009 1:45 pm

Tiburon Town Council voted 4-0 on November 18 to install six cameras that recognize license plate characters, making it the first community in the Bay Area, and perhaps the country, to line its borders with the cameras.

Plates will be compared to databases of stolen or wanted cars, with matches triggering an immediate alert to local officers. If detectives are investigating a crime, they will be able to search the records to try to find possible suspects.

Read entire story on SFGate.com

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By Ken, October 29, 2009 3:22 pm

Almost every weekend, the San Carlos Police Department devotes a great deal of manpower and resources to quell fights and drunk-and-disorderly conduct at some of San Carlos ’ drinking establishments. Mind you, I’m not a teetotaler – I like a glass of wine or a Mojito or a Corona now and then.  Nor am I a killjoy about parties.

But, at a time when we have a greatly reduced staffing situation with our police department, the issue with unruly people at some of the city’s bars and nightclubs warrants a closer look.  Why should we be concerned about this?  Because when the police are responding to bar brawls, they are not patrolling our neighborhoods.  This was the case when vandals slashed the tires of 45 vehicles in White Oaks earlier this year.

Last Friday night, a dustup at one watering hole required a response by the entire police night shift AND a call to Belmont Police Department for backup.  If you count the cost of engaging 8-10 police vehicles for this fracas, and writing up reports, are we into some serious expense here?

One might ask:  Is it fair for one segment of our business community to create such labor-intensive oversight by our publicly-financed and undermanned police department?

Continue reading 'City of Good Drinking?'»