The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said that in late October and early November, four homes were broken into in Portola Valley, Woodside, and Ladera.
On October 25, around 9 p.m., someone broke into a house in Ladera near the 200 block of Mimosa Way. Around 7 p.m. on November 8, police were called to a home on Holden Court in Portola Valley because someone had broken in. The people who broke into both homes took many things with them before the police came, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Someone broke into a house in Woodside on November 1 around 6:30 p.m. on the 500 block of Manzanita Way and stole things.
Between 2:30 and 6:30 a.m. on November 15, someone broke into another Woodside home in the 700 block of West California Way. It was clear that someone broke into the house, but the sheriff’s office said that nothing was taken.
The Sheriff’s Office says that all crimes are still being looked into. Officials from the police force offer the following tips to keep your home safe from thieves:
When you leave, always lock the doors and windows to keep thieves out.
Don’t give places to hide. Cut back bushes and trees near windows so that thieves can’t hide there. Make sure your house has lots of light.
When you leave town, hold on to your mail and packages or ask a friend to pick them up. Don’t let people know you won’t be there by posting about your plans on social media.
Check locks twice. Every time you leave, even if it’s only for a short time, make sure all the doors and windows are locked. Make sure you use your protection system if you have one.
Make entry points stronger. To make things safer, you might want to get strong doors with deadbolt locks.
Throw away the box in a sneaky way. Break down boxes and packaging after big purchases so that valuable things aren’t on display for possible thieves.
You might want to keep important things in a locked safe. Make sure no one else knows the password.
Tell the police about any behavior that seems odd.
