Neighbors in the small Los Angeles community of Ladera Heights, which has about 7,000 households, said Monday they are frustrated and upset with a growing number of burglaries.
NBC4 Investigates’ data showed there were 14 home break-ins in September in the unincorporated community of Ladera Heights, which is tucked between Culver City and Inglewood.
One neighbor said when his home was broken into for the first time in December, some of the suspected burglars were arrested but were released from custody because they were minors.
“All my jewelry, my watches, my glasses, all my wife’s bags — they took everything. Everything. They just wiped us out completely,” the neighbor said. “The same suspect went to just about four to six buildings away from us and did the same thing to another person.”
The burglary victim declined to be identified out of fear for his family, as the burglary suspects are still on the loose.
The man’s home was burglarized again in September.
“(Burglars) didn’t care because they knew they had about maybe 10 minutes to do whatever they have to do and to be gone,” the victim said, suggesting authorities may take longer to respond than it takes criminals to ransack his home.
Another neighbor told NBCLA that some sections of Ladera Heights were hit with burglaries several times a week.
“Everyone is on edge,” Summer Parr said. “It’s just been breaking like week after week.”
Joshua Kissi, whose home is surrounded on all sides by neighbors who have been burglarized, said he saw suspected burglars fleeing a neighbor’s home with their arms full two weeks ago.
“They’re like 18, 19 years old. You can tell they’re kids — their stature, how they carry themselves, how they were speaking to me in that moment,” said Kissi, who’s been rallying the community to be vigilant.
The neighbors’ frustration and anger boiled over last week when they packed a community meeting with LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell and Sheriff Robert Luna.
Mitchell said the number of burglaries can be reduced as law enforcement brings more focus while neighbors step up “their game in terms of hardening their own communities.”
The community already pays for private patrols. Although a substation of the Sheriff’s Department is located nearby, neighbors complained deputies take too long to respond to burglaries.
“I think what’s most helpful is (Luna) heard loud and clear from the residents,” the supervisor said. “They’re concerned about response time, so response time is something that (Luna) is going to pay close attention to.”
The meeting included information from the Sheriff’s Department on how to make homes less susceptible to break-ins.
