• Homicides. The unfortunate news for the month of April is the fact that after nearly two years with no homicides, the month of April had three. One incident involved the death of two innocents in what has been determined to be a murder-suicide. The suspect responsible for the deaths took his own life immediately after killing his victims. Two days after this tragedy, the body of a young-adult female was found in Story Park. The Story Park case has been determined to be a homicide. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department is conducting this ongoing murder investigation and as of this writing, no arrests have been made.
• Residential Burglary. As for residential burglaries the good news continues. Twelve residential burglaries were reported in April, which is down significantly from last year's monthly average of twenty. As it stands right now, residential burglaries are down 8% for the year. Even though the numbers are continuing their downward trend, now is not the time to get complacent! As the warmer weather approaches resist the temptation to keep your windows unlocked and open when you leave your home unattended – even for just a couple minutes. Though fewer homes are experiencing break-ins, the value of loss from some of the homes victimized has exceeded $10,000 and well above. That is some serious monetary loss...of course the emotional costs are usually more distressing. Be vigilant and make locking up a habit before you leave your residence!
• Rape, Robbery, and Assault. So far, real good! These crimes are down significantly.
• Theft From Vehicles. It seems this has been a regular topic of conversation in the Crime Prevention Connection for the past few months – and it is justified. At the conclusion of the fourth month in this year, a total of 259 vehicles have experienced the loss of the contents within. Matter of fact, one of the local news stations did an expose on the rise of auto burglaries in the greater Los Angeles area last week. In some Los Angeles communities, the increase in auto burglary is as high as 80%. Fortunately, Alhambra’s vehicle burglary rates have not increased to 80%, but they are up a healthy 27% for the year. Whether or not you park your car in Alhambra, keep in mind this is a problem everywhere! Don’t leave valuables visible and when possible, take them with you or lock them in the trunk!
• Mailbox Break-In's. We last spoke of this issue in the February Crime Prevention Connection after receiving several reports. March and April proved to be much better months with no mail theft reports in Alhambra.
• Grand Theft Auto. A total of 110 vehicles have been stolen since the beginning of the year. This is two more than at the same point in time last year and averages nearly twenty eight stolen vehicles each month.

In summary, with the exception of the homicides we experienced during the month of April, the crimes trending upward (vehicle burglary and vehicle theft) are very preventable. Assess your risk! If you have a few bad habits when it comes to securing your vehicle, make it a point to be more protective of your property.

In addition to the expose on vehicle burglaries in the greater Los Angeles area, one of the local news stations did a story on GPS devices. The story talked about addresses stored in your GPS device which, in the wrong hands, could lead a criminal to your home, office, or other place you visit. I thought the message is worth repeating. GPS devices are very popular with thieves. If one happens to get your GPS, what addresses do you have stored? Could this thief now find out where you live...and have turn by turn directions that lead them to your doorstep? Or office?

The week of May 9-15 has been designated as National Law Enforcement Memorial Week. It is a time each year in which we pause to honor the memory of the law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 53 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1792, nearly 19,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Three Alhambra Police Officers are listed on the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. This week, Alhambra police officers are wearing black bands over their badge to remember and honor Alhambra officers: