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Fall break-ins lead to spike in local burglary numbers
By Rebecca Ray
Three times as many residential burglaries occurred in Saratoga over a three-month period this past fall than during the same period in 2000, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office annual public safety report says.
In 2000, 11 residential burglaries occurred from September through December. But from September through December in 2001, burglars broke into 33 residences.
In addition to Saratoga, sheriff's deputies have also noticed a similar jump in residential burglaries in Cupertino and Los Altos Hills. From September to December 2001, 107 residential burglaries occurred in the three cities. This is an 80 percent increase over the same time period in 2000, when 58 residential burglaries occurred in the three cities.
But the recent burglaries have primarily occurred between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. and between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. They seem to follow a pattern in which the suspect enters through rear doors and windows, both locked and unlocked, and targets mainly jewelry and cash, usually in the master bedroom.
Not surprisingly, the increase in residential burglaries is reflected in the Sheriff's Department's annual statistics. Between 2000 and 2001, residential burglaries in Saratoga increased 38 percent, from 42 to 58.
Commercial burglaries in Saratoga more than doubled between 2000 and 2001, from 17 to 39. Unlike 1999 and 2000, when the highest number of commercial burglaries occurred in February, the highest number in 2001 occurred in November.
Detectives have made several arrests and have numerous leads on the "hot prowl" burglaries, Lieutenant Ernie Smedlund said. Since mid-October, the department has increased its nighttime patrols of neighborhoods, issued press releases to local media outlets and alerted neighboring law enforcement agencies of the burglaries, in an attempt to catch the burglars. The department has also conducted stakeouts based on crime analysis information, which have so far been unsuccessful, according to Smedlund.
Other crimes in Saratoga have decreased since 2000. The number of accidents that resulted in property damage declined from 276 to 228, while reported incidents of vandalism fell from 128 to 98. Auto thefts decreased by more than 50 percent, from 16 to seven, while simple and aggravated assaults decreased from 38 to 36. Deputies also arrested fewer motorists--75 in 2000 and 69 in 2001--for driving under the influence of alcohol and issued fewer moving citations--2,088 citations in 2000 and 1,902 in 2001.
Unlike 2000, when there were three incidents of armed robbery, no incidents of armed robbery occurred in 2001.
Narcotics arrests decreased at both Prospect and Saratoga high schools. Deputies arrested 13 Prospect students in 2000 and seven in 2001. At Saratoga High School, they arrested seven students in 2000 and four in 2001. However, the number of narcotics arrests increased citywide, from 47 to 57.
In 2001, the sheriff's office received more reports from Saratogans of grand theft. City residents reported 67 incidents in 2000 and 79 in 2001. They also reported more incidents of domestic violence--47 in 2000 and 54 in 2001--and more disturbances--157 in 2000 and 177 in 2001.
Not surprisingly, since the sheriff's office doubled its number of traffic officers from two to four in fall 2000, deputies have chased down more speeders. In 2000, officers handed out 2,599 tickets, or 407 more tickets than they did in 1999. But in 2001, deputies handed out 3,375 tickets, or 776 more tickets than they did in 2000.
Sex crimes--which include rape, unlawful intercourse, indecent exposure, lewd or lascivious acts and misdemeanor and felony sex offenses--remained steady at 15.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
