June Crimes Twice as Many as March

There were double the amount of crimes in Calabasas in June as there were in March, according to the Malibu/Lost Hill's Sheriffs Department.

Twenty five crimes were committed in March, according to a report made to the  Public Safety Commission, and that figured jumped to 52 for the month of June.

And the time of year has something to do with the number of vehicle burglaries, according to Robert DeSantis, a deputy with the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station.

"It's an ongoing problem, especially during the summer for unknown reasons," he told the commission on Monday.

Locking doors is simply not enough if valuable items are left in plain view, DeSantis said.

Commissioner Amber Gendein said she is frustrated with careless residents who wind up victims of preventable burglaries.

"It so offends me that they waste law enforcement resources with this easy to correct behavior," she said.

DeSantis added that those living in gated communities are not necessarily immune to burglars and residents should always park their cars in their garage if possible.

A driveway is also acceptable because when something is stolen from a car parked in a household driveway, the crime is considered a residential burglary.

DeSantis said neighborhood watches help curb burglaries because of the higher number of eyes that are on a community.

He added that the sheriff's station helps form neighborhood watches, but once one is established, they are entirely the responsibility of the residents.

"If you really want to help yourselves and your community, it's important to have a neighborhood watch," DeSantis said. "It serves as the eyes and the ears of the sheriff's department as well."

DeSantis also described a number of noteworthy crimes that were committed in June.

Two individuals were arrested for committing identity theft, burglary, and forgery.

The two suspects were caught stealing checks from a mail drop box at an apartment complex on the 5700 block of Las Virgenes Road.

The individuals also committed similar crimes in Santa Clarita, Tarzana and Chatsworth, DeSantis said.

"When you leave checks or things in your outgoing mail for your mailman to pick up instead of using a blue mail box, you're going to be a victim because there's people that go around checking mail boxes," he said.

Other June crimes include an armed robbery of a business on the 4800 block of Las Virgenes Road.

A male suspect walked into the business with a handgun in a bag and placed it on the counter while demanding money, DeSantis said.

After taking the money, the robber fled on foot.

The suspect was described as being 30 to 35 years old and weighing between 140 to 160 pounds.

Marcia Grycan of the local LA County Fire stations also addressed commissioners and said that 134 calls were made to Calabasas stations in June.

Three of the calls reported fires, two of which were vehicle fires and the third was a small brush fire on Dantes View Drive.