Altadena crimes increases 250% after the fire by looters | The southern Pasadenan

According to the Sheriff's Department of the Los Angeles County (LASD), crime in fire -calculated Altadena increased by 250%, with burglary rates rose by 400%. According to the authorities, looters focus on evacuated and damaged houses and use copper cabling and other metals.

Copper theft drives crime wave

The deputies of the sheriff have doubled the patrols in the affected zone after the residents had reported several incidents with metal theft from burned structures. A recent spiked operation led to the arrest of 15 people in just 16 hours, said Lt. Ethan Márquez from the Altadena Sheriff's station. Eight suspects are charged with crime, while seven are charged with offense.

In one case on April 13, the MPs arrested a suspect with a metal tube of 500 pounds in his vehicle.

Organized looting and high-tech tactics

The authorities report that thieves often work at night and collapse into fire -damaged houses to extract copper, pipes and cabling for resale. Some went so far to issue the pension employees or to bypass existing security systems with the help of technology.

In order to combat these efforts, the Sheriff's department has formed a looter reduction team, used special anti-theft units and carried out hundreds of real estate tests. Monitoring via helicopter and drones was also increased.

“These efforts ensure that the continuous 24-hour patrol offers a consistent and visible presence of law enforcement,” said Lasd.

The Sheriff Department offers real estate patrol program

The department also offers a home check program in which the residents can request patrols during recovery. Inquiries can be submitted by e -mail [email protected].

Mixed reactions from the community

Not all community members agree with the focus of the sheriff. Sadio Woods from Essie Justice Group found that in the surveys after the community in the community “zero percent of people said something about crime or looting.”

There were also reports that the returnees were incorrectly stopped and interviewed as potential looters.

The law enforcement promises ongoing support

Despite the controversy, Lasd says that his focus remains on the protection of the residents. “The reconstruction will take several years,” said Lt. Márquez. “We will bring in additional resources as long as possible to ensure that theft and the entire crime are reduced.”