In early 2024, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, “We know that many in our city do not feel safe, which is why we are working urgently to address and prevent crime.”
A few months later, the mayor became a victim of the out-of-control crime.
One morning around 6 am, the mayor, her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild were asleep inside the official mayoral residence.
While the family members slept, a 29-year-old man smashed a rear glass door to enter the house.
The intruder had used a gap in the security shift change to sneak onto the mayor’s property.
He jumped over a fence and was able to break through the back door of the house.
The intruder was charged with felony residential burglary with a person present and destruction of property and was held on $100,000 bail.
The Los Angeles District Attorney said, “We believe he was targeting the mayor.”
His family said he suffered from mental illness and was just looking for a safe place to go.
These days, burglars usually operate in one of two ways.
They look for crimes of opportunity (such as an open garage door).
Or they pick a target residence and do some homework to determine the best time to break in.
Since burglaries are fast crimes, the perpetrators are usually gone by the time police arrive.
This is why it’s important to have security measures in place.
Plus, it’s critical to look for signs that burglars might be targeting your home.
So, here are a few signs that someone could be targeting your house.
Suspicious cars:
Pay attention to vehicles near your house where people are sitting inside the car for extended periods.
If someone parks in front of your house there is nothing wrong with watching them.
You don’t have to confront them, but it’s okay for them to see you watching them.
If they are up to no good, they might think twice since you are paying attention.
Watch to see if the same vehicle is visiting your neighborhood at the same time each day.
Look to see if they are picking someone up or just watching.
If they are simply sitting in the car and then driving off this could be a sign they are doing their homework.
Strangers knocking:
While you might think they would want to avoid being seen, it’s not unusual for criminals to knock on a door to see if anyone is home.
If a stranger knocks on your door, don’t open it.
Instead, speak to them through the door to see what they need.
If they get nervous or say something stupid you might have stopped them from breaking in.
Also, if the same person stops by during different hours of the day they might be testing to see when someone is home or not.
So, if you suddenly get a lot of strangers knocking on your door it could be a criminal or criminals trying to figure out a schedule.
Lights:
Criminals like to operate in the dark, but these days outdoor lights are inexpensive so many people have them.
This is why criminals will unscrew light bulbs or tamper with the outdoor lights.
This way, when they come back at night the lights won’t turn and they can stay hidden.
If your lightbulbs are constantly burnt out, broken, or inexplicably unscrewed it could be a sign that someone is sabotaging them.
Cameras:
A criminal likely won’t tear down a security camera since this would be an obvious sign of activity.
Instead, a burglar might slightly move a camera or even obscure the lens to make it harder for them to be seen.
Make sure you regularly check the views from your security camera and investigate if the camera is always turned away or blocked by something.
Small vandalism:
Sometimes criminals will carry out small crimes to test their victims.
For instance, maybe they steal a tiny lawn ornament or break a solar lamp in the front driveway.
These random acts might be a sign that a criminal is trying to figure out if you are paying attention.
For instance, maybe they want to see if you replace the broken lamp.
Or do you move the rock back into place where it was?
So, if you notice small acts of vandalism, it could be a sign that criminals are testing your security.
If you notice any of the above things happening around your home be wary, because criminals could be casing your home.
