A group of approximately 300 Terra Linda and Marinwood residents gathered at the Wednesday night to discuss neighborhood watch groups after a wave of burglaries swept the area.
“I was pleased with the turnout,” Mayor Gary Phillips said. “To me, it shows the level of the neighbors’ concern.”
At the meeting, detectives from the and discussed the value of setting up neighborhood watch groups and being aware of suspicious activity. Other than the mayor, Marin County Supervisor Susan Adams and council members Damon Connelly and Marc Levine also attended the meeting, according to the Marin Independent Journal.
San Rafael police have reported 12 daytime burglaries in the Terra Linda, West End and Dominican neighborhoods, the Marin IJ reports.
In September, in North San Rafael during the afternoon. The suspects were able to enter the homes through unlocked windows. Police believe the suspects watched as the homeowners left their houses before breaking in.
“Many burglars will hit the same area if they are successful before moving on,” said police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher, who did not attend the meeting.
The latest string of burglaries have occurred in the Marinwood jurisdiction, she said.
One tactic many burglars are using is coming to the door dressed in business attire and ringing the doorbell to see if anyone is home. If no one is, the burglar then tries to enter the home through the back door or a window, according to Rohrbacher
“We have a variety of different methods for investigating burglaries, but community input can be very valuable,” she said.
when a San Rafael police officer spotted a man running down Esmeyer Drive at Tamarack dressed completely in black with a hooded sweatshirt over his head. After the man, identified as 20-year-old Francisco Rojas, Jr., was stopped, dispatch reported a burglary alarm nearby. He was arrested.
