This 4th quarter Crime Summary from CyberWatch’s Bob Genest for South Shores shows continuation of a pattern we’ve seen throughout 2022.

The Good News:
Last year in 2022, home burglaries were at their lowest level since we started publishing CyberWatch Update back in 2013, ten years ago. 2013 peaked at 17 burglaries. 2014 to 2021 averaged 3 to 4 burglaries per year. In 2022, there were only 2 home burglaries — one in March and the other in December.

The Not So Good News:
The bad guys are still out there and they still want our stuff. They’ve just shifted their M.O. (method of operation) pattern from our homes to our cars — thefts from unlocked vehicles, break-ins of locked vehicles, stolen vehicles, and catalytic converter thefts.

CYBERWATCH CRIME UPDATE FOR SOUTH SHORES
4th Quarter 2022 (October 1 through December 31).

HOME BURGLARY (1)
December 21:  2700 block of S. Anchovy Ave. – 8:00 p.m.

BURGLARY FROM VEHICLE (1)
December 14:  2200 block of Amirante Drive – 2:00 p.m.

VEHICLE BREAK-IN THEFT (5)
October 13:  2200 block of W. 25th St. – 12:00 p.m.
October 15:  2200 block of W. 25th St. – 9:00 a.m.
October 15:  2500 block of S. Anchovy Ave. – 1:30 p.m.
October 22:  3700 block of S. Anchovy Ave. – 11;00 p.m.
November 8:  1900 block of S. Moray Ave. – 8:00 p.m.  Grand theft ($950.01 or more).

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT (Vehicle stolen) (2)
November 30:  2200 block of Mantis Ave. – 6:55 a.m.
December 23:  25th and Western Ave. – 2:00 a.m.

THEFT / LARCENY (1)
December 5:  2200 block of Wanderer Drive – 2:00 p.m.  Petty theft ($950.00 or more).

ROBBERY (taking property from another by means of force or fear) (1)
December 10:  1600 block of W. 25th St. – 9:00 a.m.

Please bear in mind, this October through December summary is really just the tip of the iceberg.  It only shows crimes for which a formal police report was filed. Many of our neighbors, maybe most, don’t file a report when property is stolen from their cars. Reason: “Inconvenient use of time for often such a small loss”. Our esteemed LAPD partners tell us: “No police report… no crime…no investigation”.) Understood.

CyberWatch recommends filing a police report for every theft. Why? The more police reports filed from a given area, the more routine patrols dispatched to that area. Makes sense.

Thanks to all 600+ CyberWatch members for their alert vigilance. CyberWatchers helped set the record for the lowest number of annual home burglaries in South Shores. This was during a 2022 spike in home burglaries and even home invasions in some neighboring communities.

Let’s all work hard in 2023 to help maintain South Shores’ record as one of the safest neighborhoods in the entire South Bay.