Mall Burglary Nets Big Loss

Sometime between 9:00 PM and midnight last night, a suspect cut locks on cabinets located in a mall kiosk and made off with over $11,000 in cell phones. Champs Wireless, a kiosk business located inside the Westfield Shoppingtown, was the victim. APD will be looking into security video for any possible suspect information.

Not much of a view today with a blanket of smoke from the Morris Dam fire.

School Starts Next Week!

Arcadia schools start back in session next week: Arcadia High School on Monday, August 31st and the elementary/middle schools return on Tuesday, September 1st. The AUSD calendar can be found HERE. This means that we need to be aware of our children during our commutes during the day. Allow extra time for your drive if you pass near a school. Traffic will be heavier than normal during the first few weeks of school as parents grow accustomed to drop-off and pick-up routes for our schools.

Be part of the solution, not the problem!

• Slow down!


• Allow extra time for your travel.


• Be alert for pedestrians and bicyclists.


• Don't double park or violate parking restrictions!

Fees, Fees, Fees

The Pasadena Star News is reporting on the recent Arcadia City Council approval of fee increases citywide. Most folks will see fee increases in parking citation fines and collision report processing from APD. See the newspaper article HERE. Many comments on the topic have been posted and some are quite right in that the City is passing on the cost of service. The State has raised the amounts that we contribute for citations and when you compare numbers across the board, APD is actually well within the norm or below. Everyone has unfortunately felt the pinch and municipalities are no different.

AFD & APD on scene of minor carport fire in 900 blk W. Duarte Rd.

Tuesday Tip - Weed, Dope, Drugs, Alcohol?

Just like towns all over, don't be naive and think that marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy, and other assorted drugs of choice are not used and abused in our town. The only things that change are the players and locations. You may not see drugs openly sold on a street corner or have an abundance of known dope houses to choose from, but they do exist. Specific drugs and their use ebb and flow over time. Rolling meth labs, LSD tabs were popular for a while and now ecstasy along with the old staple, marijuana, with young folks. And, don't forget prescription drug and alcohol abuse.

What can we do about it? Start at home with family and friends. Watch for signs of drug use and help with intervention. Be a good parent! Check with your kids, talk with your kids, know your kids. Here are two websites with additional information on teen drug use, tips for prevention and detection:

• Parents the Anti-Drug


• Drugfree.org

What about your neighborhood? What if you suspect drug activity near your home? Get to know your neighbors! You don't have to be best friends, but do know who belongs and who doesn't. What cars do they drive? What kind of hours do they keep? If comfortable, exchange emergency contact information with each other.

Excessive activity at a home? Different people or vehicles coming and going? This could be during certain times or throughout the day or night. Track activity at a suspected location with good notes. Write down license plate numbers and descriptions of persons if you can. Note dates and times of the activity. Where does the activity take place? Are the persons entering the home through the front door or are they walking through a side gate? Where does it look like transactions are taking place?

If you see what you believe to be a crime in progress, call the police immediately. If you simply suspect that someone is selling drugs or that a home is being used for drug sales, there are a few ways to get that information to the police. You can call and ask to speak with a narcotics detective or provide the information to a desk officer or other personnel to pass on for further investigation. There are sources on the web, like We-Tip or Crime Stoppers, that accept anonymous tip information. Just don't ignore the problem. Help keep our neighborhoods safe and drug-free.

On-Line Reporting...Save Time!

APD started accepting on-line crime reports a few months back! Satisfy those insurance needs, save time from visiting the Department or waiting for a beat unit to arrive...many of the common police report classifications are allowed to be submitted via the web. Click HERE to visit the APD on-line reporting link. Reports with no suspect information and fall under categories such as minor vandalism, theft, auto burglary, ID theft, annoying phone calls, and lost property may be submitted if the crime occurred in the City of Arcadia.