Traffic Snarled Due to Threat of Explosives

Santa Anita Avenue was blocked to through traffic for about an hour or two yesterday between Live Oak and Longden shortly after 3:00 PM. APD Officers and Arcadia Fire responded to a residence at Palm Drive and Santa Anita after construction workers found what they believed to be sticks of dynamite in the attic. Surrounding residents were evacuated, traffic diverted and the LASD Bomb Squad was called to assist. Bomb technicians found that the "explosives" were actually 30-40 year old, paper wrapped batteries that resembled industrial dynamite.

Tuesday Tip - Unattended Property

APD, like many other police agencies, receives reports from persons that lose or misplace personal items such as wallets and purses. These reports are usually for documentation only as there is little, if any, follow-up information. A common scenario is where a shopper sets down their purse or wallet on a counter, a chair or bench, and walks away, even if only for a moment. Upon their return, their valuables are gone. Other times, persons will simply forget a purse on a restaurant bench and by the time it is remembered, the purse is missing.


Don't become a victim! Watch out for your valuables and keep them with you at all times. Don't walk away from your shopping cart or the bench where you are sitting without your purse. Don't set your wallet or cell phone down on the counter and direct your attention elsewhere. Mistakes will happen. We all will forget an item from time to time, but do your best to not create a crime of opportunity. Thieves looks for easy targets and an unattended purse, wallet or cell phone is an inviting target.

Residential Burglaries Spike - Press Release

The City of Arcadia has experienced approximately 50 residential burglaries since January 1, 2009. A majority of these burglaries have occurred during daytime hours, on weekdays, and are committed throughout the City. Homes have been targeted in the south and west portions of town and condominiums/apartments have been victimized in the downtown and west areas as well. Entry has been gained in many crimes through unlocked or open, rear and side doors and windows of the residences. Pry marks from items such as a flat-head screw drivers have also been found on forced open doors at scenes.

It is our belief that while some of these crimes may be attributed to individual suspect(s), the majority of the burglaries are being committed by organized groups of thieves. There is no specific suspect description to share with the public, but we are reaching out to the community in a campaign of awareness. The Arcadia Police Department is asking that anyone that observes suspicious activity or persons, immediately call our dispatchers at (626)574-5123.

Should you notice a person or persons wandering in a neighborhood or driving slowly past residences, parked or stopped cars that are not known to the area, subjects knocking on doors with no apparent business, or other actions that would indicate a crime in progress, you are asked to call the police. Please secure your homes and make sure that all doors and windows are closed and locked before you leave home.

The Arcadia Police Department has officers patrolling residential neighborhoods and additional investigators conducting saturation patrols, but community involvement is also necessary. These crimes have also plagued surrounding cities and our detectives are communicating with allied agency personnel to coordinate our enforcement and investigative efforts.

For further information, please contact the Arcadia Police Department, Detective Bureau at (626)574-5160.

Suspect in Custody for East-West Bank Robbery

The East-West Bank in West Arcadia was robbed back December 2008. A Special Bulletin was distributed to other Law Enforcement agencies and within a short time, an alert Detective from the San Gabriel Police Department recognized the suspect photo. The suspect had been taken into custody on an unrelated crime and was sitting in the LA County Jail. The case was prepared and a warrant obtained for Sam Tso, 35 yrs, of Rosemead. He will appear at the Pasadena Unified Court on Friday, February 20, 2009.

Tuesday Tip - Signal Lights Out? Stop!

With the recent storms, the City has experienced some short power outages. Back in August, we ran a post on "blacked out" signals. California law requires that when drivers come upon a signal light that is not working, blacked out, or otherwise inoperative, the driver shall STOP their vehicle just like a stop sign. So, if you come upon a traffic light that is not working, stop at the limit line unless directed to do otherwise by a police officer. The only exception to the law is when new signals are being installed. The signal will still be covered in some way, usually with cardboard. Drivers may proceed as usual in that situation while obeying the rules of the road.



Refer to the link for the previous post and an a link to the actual CVC section.

Presidents Day 2009

Monday, February 16, 2009, is Presidents Day. Local, State and Federal facilities will be closed for business. The link gives you a look at the history of this holiday, Washington's birthday and Lincoln's birthday. Enjoy the day off. APD will be open for business as usual, however, some support and administrative personnel will be off.

Think You Can Ride?

Riding a police motorcycle takes a great deal of training and hard work to maintain your riding proficiency and skill level. Prior to hitting the street on an enforcement motor, the rider goes through countless hours of slow speed training and throttle/clutch control practice. The new rider learns not only how to control the bike, but to trust the bike and understand what the vehicle can do as well. Our officers practice for at least a couple of months prior to attending an actual police motorcycle rider school. The motor school is at minimum, an 80 hour course with certain skills and tasks that must be passed in order to graduate. After completion of a motor school, the police officer still rides with a motor training officer for a period of time. Motor officers normally participate in quarterly training thereafter to maintain those perishable skills.

Many people think that training to ride fast is one of the main focuses. Actually, riding at speed is only a small portion of what a police motor officer learns. Much of the training focuses on very slow speed riding, turning and manipulating the motorcycle through tight cone patterns, and avoiding obstacles. The majority of time, the police motor officer rides in heavy traffic and must negotiate their way through a sea of vehicles.

Police motors are valuable tools for law enforcement, not only for traffic or directed enforcement, but also for uses in crowd control and responding to calls where conventional units might be delayed due to traffic.

Remember to always ride safe! HERE is a link to a previous entry on rider safety.

Woman Robbed at Mall

A woman was walking to her vehicle parked on the west side of Nordstrom’s at the Westfield Shoppingtown on Saturday night, February 7, 2009, at about 9:45 PM, when she was accosted by two suspects armed with a baseball bat. The suspects threatened her and demanded her belongings. The suspects made off with the victim’s purse, phones and cash. The suspects were described as young male Hispanic teens wearing dark clothing. The suspects were last seen running north on Baldwin Avenue.

ADW Firearm

Early Saturday morning, February 7, 2009, at about 12:30 AM, a man had just gotten out of a vehicle in the area of Live Oak and El Monte. The 31 year old La Puente man heard someone approach on foot from behind and he was suddenly shot once in the abdomen. The shooter immediately fled on foot. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment and was expected to recover from the gunshot wound. The suspect was only described as a male white or Hispanic, with a shaved head, wearing dark clothing and a dark hooded sweatshirt.

Tuesday Tip - "Catch Me If You Can"

CBS News released an article entitled Crime Prevention Tips From Famous Thief that discusses the journey of the main player in a 2002 movie, "Catch Me If You Can", Frank Abagnale. As part of his sentence, so to speak, Abagnale has cooperated with the FBI since his arrest some 30 plus years ago, teaching agents and working to prevent forms of theft and forgery. It is an interesting read and gives some good tips on preventing check fraud and becoming a victim.

Most Ticketed Cars?

US News & World Report has an article that lists the ten most ticketed cars by police officers. Take a look at it HERE. I am not totally convinced on the line up but I do agree with a few of them. We'll have to see if I can dig up some stats and see how Arcadia matches up against the article. The article stats come courtesy of a company that assists insurance companies in risk assessment.

Armed Robbery

The Subway at Foothill and First was robbed last night shortly before 10:00 PM. A lone male black suspect jumped the counter armed with a handgun and demanded money. The suspect made off on foot with less than $40. He was described as being in his twenties, 6'00/160lbs, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, jeans and a bandanna covering his face.

Tuesday Tip - Check Your Credit

A new year, tax time. both are good built in reminders to take the time to check your personal credit. Thieves can gain access to your personal information through various means these days and you may not become aware of the problem until damage is already done. The Federal Trade Commission has a website with a link to the only authorized on line source to obtain your credit report from the 3 main credit reporting companies. The service is free and you are entitled to obtain the report once every 12 months. There are some other legitimate sources to obtain the information, however, most come with strings attached or a fee to continue monitoring your credit. Protect yourself from ID theft and potential loss due to ID theft. Take a look at a previous entry on the topic of mail and identity theft HERE.

Residential Burgs Continue

Nine residential burglaries were reported through Friday afternoon last week. The burglaries seem to be committed during the daytime and were reported in the south and east portions of town. As always, keep an eye out for suspicious activity and persons in your neighborhood. While some of the thieves force their way into the homes, others take advantage of open or unlocked windows. Remember to close and lock your windows, bathroom windows, gates and doors leading to your home. Refer to the previous entries on residential burglary prevention for tips HERE and HERE.