51 home burglaries in Lodi for April

As soon as Francisco Guzman got home from work Monday and walked in his front door, he knew something wasn't right.

He soon discovered that someone had forced open his side garage door and broken into his Lodi home.

"They were looking for cash," he said, noting that electronics and other items were left behind.

Guzman's home was one of 51 residences that have been burglarized this month, as of Thursday, according to Lodi police. It's the same number as the previous month, though April still has four more days left.

And compared to last year's total of 27 residential burglaries in April, and the total of 29 in April 2005, it's a big difference. Last March, though, saw 41 such burglaries.

Lt. Chet Somera said there's no evidence to link them all together, and both he and Crime Prevention Officer Andrea Patterson wondered if rain could have kept thieves away last year.

Rain has fallen a total of five days this month, with the most amount in a single day being half an inch, according to statistics from the Lodi Fire Department. April 2006 had 10 rainy days, with the peak of one inch of rain in a day.

Another trend that puzzles police is the day of the week: In both March and April, burglaries happened on Mondays more frequently than on another day of the week, followed by Tuesdays. Thirteen burglaries were reported on Mondays in each month, 12 were reported on Tuesdays in April and nine were reported on Tuesdays in March.

Residential burglaries

March 2007: 51
March 2006: 41
March 2005: 29

April 2007: 51*
April 2006: 27
April 2005: 29
*As of Thursday
Source: Lodi Police Department.

But that pattern didn't hold true in 2006, so police say the bottom line is to make sure doors and windows are locked when the house is empty.

And the most foolproof method is to get an alarm, Patterson said. Alarms are the best safety device, because the noise will also scare off would-be thieves. But if that's not an option, Patterson said to double-check windows and doors.

Additionally, she said to tell trustworthy neighbors and relatives before going on vacation, so they can bring in the trash cans and newspapers and also keep an eye on the house. Another giveaway of a vulnerable home, she said, is a light left on for days at a time.

A Tuesday burglary victim, who didn't want to give his name, is pretty sure the thief knows the family, because the suspect broke in even though a car was sitting in the driveway.

The culprit made off with an X-Box game and a good amount of cash, but was likely interrupted when the man's wife came home for lunch.

"It's really scary when you think someone's walking around inside your house," the man said. "He might have started wandering around the house looking for more stuff if my wife hadn't come home."

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

rreddog wrote on May 8, 2007 5:22 PM:

" The problem is very simple. LPD, just like the rest of the City of Lodi, has its priorities skewed. It's clearly more important to stop a little old lady driving 5 miles above the speed limit than to address the real issues of increasing crime in Lodi. Lodi complains that it doesn't have money to properly staff its departments as an excuse for its continued failure to provide services. The contrary is true; oftentimes there are two people attempting to perform a one-person job. "

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