Minimal Damage, Hooray!
The holiday season is concluding and we have been relatively successful in minimizing the number of non- residents and service personnel getting their tires flattened by attempting to enter our central community area via the Selva or Cabrillo gates. The reason for this positive result must be that you have been faithfully instructing guests that GPS gives directions to gates that are closest, but not necessarily gates that allow access to non-residents. Unfortunately, many unsuspecting drivers still fail to read the “Residents Only” signs at these gates and then become flustered when they can’t get in. They then try to outsmart the system and tailgate a resident whose bar code properly tripped the gate open. Unfortunately, every month the spikes do what they are designed to do, and prevent the non-residents from entering by ruining a good set of tires. Please keep telling all guests and service people to use the appropriate gate at 33510 Mariner Drive for entry to the central community area.
Thefts from Our Cars and Trucks
Thefts from motor vehicles tend to peak during the holidays. However, the trend is usually slow to taper off. So stay alert. Thieves that steal from cars and trucks have a unique method of operation (M.O.). They are attracted to items of value that they can see from outside the vehicle. They shake the
door handle to see if it opens, since they usually only enter unlocked cars and trucks. If the car door opens, they quickly steal whatever they can. For the last several years, forced entry of locked vehicles has become almost unheard of.
We have experienced several thefts from vehicles in recent months. The thefts occurred during hours of darkness when vehicles were parked in the open and unlocked. Many of the target victims live near one of our perimeter walls or gates. It appears that the thief is an opportunist who hops a wall or walks through a temporarily opened gate and then looks for an unlocked car. The lesson is clear: Lock your vehicle and don’t leave anything of value in it.
Video Surveillance
Recently, one person had their car stolen. Detectives from our Dana Point Police Services are examining our community’s video recordings in
an attempt to identify a suspect. Along this line, we have been asked to request those folks with a security system, or even a door bell system that video records activities outside their residence, to register them with the Dana Point Police Services (949) 248-3531. Of course, this registry is voluntary, but in the future the information may help detectives identify a criminal preying on a neighbor.
—God bless . . . Tim Murphy
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