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SHERMAN OAKS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — San Fernando Valley residents are exploring new ways to protect their homes and neighborhoods following at least seven recent break-ins, including an overnight home invasion in Sherman Oaks.
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The homeowner in the latest break-in said he was asleep when he awoke to intruders inside his home on Dixie Canyon Place.
“Some guys were walking down the stairwell, stepped into the stairwell, someone had broken into the house,” homeowner Todd Hitomi said.
Several men broke into Hitomi’s home, sneaking onto the property from a dirt trail, only to be confronted by the homeowner.
“They were yelling, ‘Holy crap. Get out of the house. Get out of the house,’” Hitomi said. “We were trying to chase them up the stairs and call 911.”
“They took a bunch of stuff,” the homeowner added.
Residents from Sherman Oaks, Encino and Studio City say they have had enough following seven home break-ins since Sept. 18. Neighborhood watch captains gathered in September to share information and strategies for protecting their communities.
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Charlotte Larsen said her Studio City neighborhood installed its own Flock camera. The camera helped capture information about a vehicle tied to another break-in.
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“The Flock camera got the car coming in the neighborhood. We got the license plate. We got his picture on the Ring camera from the neighborhood, and we sent that to the PD,” Larsen said.
Security experts say homeowners do not always need expensive systems to improve security. Consumer Reports found that cameras costing as little as $20 or $50 can be effective, but it recommends investing in cloud-based video storage.
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“It’s definitely worth paying for cloud video storage. You really need that if you want to have that evidence in the event that something bad does happen,” said Dan Wroclawski with Consumer Reports.
Consumer Reports also recommends that homeowners consider signing up for a monitoring service when they leave town.
“Let’s say you know next month you’re going to go away on vacation, you can sign up for just that one month and have that professional monitoring, have that peace of mind, and then cancel the subscription when you get back home,” Wroclawski said.
Last spring, the ABC7 On Your Side Investigates team spoke with a detective who said intruders in these types of break-ins typically gain entry by smashing glass windows or doors. Additional recommendations for homeowners include installing motion sensors or significant outdoor lighting.
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