Posted on 01/21/2013 3:30:09 PM PST by BenLurkin
MURRIETA [California] (CBSLA.com) Police are warning residents Monday suspects are using a new technique to determine whether Murrieta homes are occupied before ransacking the properties.
KNX 1070′s Tom Reopelle reports police are warning residents to stay alert and keep valuables secured.
The burglars are believed to be targeting homes, tripping circuit breakers and then breaking in to steal jewelry and unsecured firearms, Murrieta Police Sgt. Don Weller said.
The bad guys will go out and turn the power off to the residence, and theyll stand outside waiting to see if theres any response from inside, and if there isnt a response, theyll make their way into the house, said Weller.
The technique was reported three times in the span of four hours, Weller said. Of those three, only one of those incidents was a confirmed burglary where property was taken. Police were called to investigate the second incident, only to find the suspects had fled the scene.
Weller said neighbors can be of particular help in preventing these types of burglaries.
Always be aware of your surroundings, and always pay attention to whats going on outside the street in front of your house, and especially your neighbors house, he said.
Anyone with information regarding the burglaries is asked to contact the police at (951) 696-3615.
A good alarm system is battery powered.
>>Weller said neighbors can be of particular help in preventing these types of burglaries.
Yes, if the power goes out, peek out your windows to see if there’s anyone casing the house. If so, wait for them to break in and then ventilate them.
Or a UPS, thanks to bammy’s energy policies my neighbor hood has brownout, now twhen my power goes out and my UPS is squealing I will get my gun, especially at night...
Is is common in CA to have circuit breakers outside? In the northeast that is all inside.
A tip I got the other day;
Take your spare key fob into your bedroom. If you hear someone foolin’ around, press the red button, and set off your car alarm. Let your neighbors know about this tactic, so they’ll call the fuzz. Good for a medical emergency too.
Had to work in a gun angle somewhere.
My tactical lights and laser sights run on batteries.
I have both here. The box outside has a main, main for the house, and a main dedicated for the pump.
I think it’s a great service to let folks know. Power goes out-—grab your modern sporting rifle and 1,000 lumen light.
Our alarm system has a battery backup and we get a warning if either the power goes out or the phone lines die to our cell phones.
Sad that we have to think of every possible way a criminal could harm us
My home was broken into just last month. He cut every electrical device off the house, opened the circuit breaker box and cut all the power. Then opened the window easily in my old house.
The burglar alarm went off and he ran, jumping over the fence. He fell and dropped a large knife in the front yard My neighbor saw his exit and I was home in 10 minutes.
The LAPD arrived about 15 hours later.
That’s why, for home defense, a tactical light on a firearm is of greater value than a laser.
Yes it is. A stupid practice, which is why CA does it.
Reason to own a gun. When seconds count the police are only minutes away.
An even better alarm system is pump action.
Lock the outside main cover! Hope it’s never necessary, but emergency workers can get it open, and make a lot of noise doing so. I don’t imagine most thieves would pull an electric meter to kill power.
A quick Google search indicates it is more common in warm climates or some code to allow the FD to shout off a house quickly. Around here if their is a large structure fire they usually have the POCO shout down the area so they can safely maneuver ladders, equipment, water, etc. around primary lines or service drops.
I don’t think they’d chance my 4 dogs to get to my breaker box.
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