APD Foothills Area Command: Residential Burglaries in the Past 4 Days

Hello Foothills Area Command Neighborhood Leaders,

I’ve been talking about the importance of keeping extra eyes on any vacant homes in your neighborhoods at the many community meetings I attend in the Foothills Area Command.

We have had 8 residential burglaries in the last 4 days (10/25 to this morning 10/29) in the Foothills Area Command.
Of those 8 residential burglaries, 4 of the 8 burglaries reported have been to vacant homes.
APD needs your help by taking note of any suspicious activity at homes (especially vacant homes) and reporting it to 242-COPS or 911 as the situation warrants.

Here are some commonalities to help you see what I am seeing so you can help our Foothills officers:
How did criminals get into these homes that were burglarized?
• Forced entries via kicking in front/back doors
• Through the garage
• Removed window screen for access
• Tried to break door knob and instead broke a pane of glass by the front door
• Broke a glass sliding door with a landscaping rock

What was stolen from the vacant homes?
• 750 square feet of tile – a significant loss and discovered at 2:07 pm. This would have been hard to miss, but could have been assumed to be a remodel/renovation job by a witness.
• Shop vacuum
• Extension cord
• Tools
• Major appliances
• All of the above stolen items can be easily re-sold for quick cash at flea markets, pawn shops, or traded.

What were the days and times for these burglaries?
• Days: I looked at crimes from Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday through this morning (Tuesday). 3 burglaries were committed on Saturday, 2 on Friday and 2 on Monday, 1 on Sunday.
• Times: The burglaries were discovered and reported from 8:25 am all the way through 10:30 pm over those 4 days. The vacant homes were discovered burglarized at 8:25 am, 2:07 pm, 4:10 pm, and 9:36 pm over the 4 days.

What can you do to fortify your home?
• Strengthen your doors by using 3 ½ or 4” screws in the strike plates and into the 2x4 in the door frame.
• Get deadbolts in addition to original manufacturer’s locks on doors. The door throw should extend at least 1” into the door frame.
• Clear your entry of debris, decorations, overgrown shrubs that could block sight lines and prevent a good neighbor from seeing and reporting someone tampering with your front door.
• Watch for strangers hopping fences or gates to get to the back of homes.
• Check your screens and make sure they are secure.
• Install additional locks to window and sliding glass doors to prevent sliding or lifting out of the frame.

Please continue the great work you are doing via your Neighborhood Watches, Neighborhood and Home Owner Association Crime Committees, and as individuals by:
• Reporting suspicious or criminal activity to 242 COPS (2677) from a safe place
• Providing descriptions of persons, vehicles and direction of travel. We had 3 good arrests last week all due to an alert Foothills citizen calling 242-COPS!
• Use crime prevention tools to protect yourself and your property. Feel free to email or call me if you need crime prevention brochures to share with your family or neighbors.

Jill Garcia, Crime Prevention Specialist
Foothills Area Command, Albuquerque Police Department
12800 Lomas Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87112
jcgarcia@cabq.gov
332-5240 Front Office
323-4644 Direct Line
332-5249 Fax