Police officers and community members are planning to hold a walk in the Larchmont area on April 11. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The Larchmont Business Association held a virtual meeting on April 3 and received updates on crime from personnel at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire and Olympic divisions.

The Greater Hancock Park, Larchmont Village and Windsor Square communities are served by the Wilshire Division on the west, and the Olympic Division on the east. The most pressing crime problem reported was a series of burglaries that have occurred in the Larchmont and Windsor Square areas, said senior lead officer Joseph Pelayo, of the Olympic Division. He cautioned residents to be aware of a pair of Black male suspects wearing jogging suits, baseball caps and face masks who have been seen in the neighborhoods casing homes, as well as two suspects described as a Black man and Black woman walking a small white dog who have been seen walking up driveways.

“Over four weeks or so, we’ve had an abundance of residential burglaries. As of the last four weeks, there were 15 alone in Larchmont, which is a lot,” Pelayo said. “They work in tandem, basically, they’ll have a drop off car, and I know this from watching video. They get out, they make entry into the residence and then another car just keeps circling. They’re in and out quick. Something to keep in mind is they’re very distinctive in how they’re dressing. They’re wearing sweatsuits and they’re covering their faces. They do stand out.”

Pelayo said the couple with the dog may be lookouts for a burglary crew.

“It’s like they are casing the house to see what’s the best way in and then they get on the phone and walk away,” Pelayo said. “A few minutes later, they drop somebody off and they go in, and then another car comes and picks them up and they’re off. It’s within a couple minutes and they’re out of the area.”

Authorities stressed the importance of knowing neighbors and looking out for their properties. Security cameras are also helpful, particularly in identifying suspects. Pelayo said a top priority is reporting suspicious activity to police. If there is a crime in progress, call 911. Pelayo added that extra patrols and additional resources, on which he declined to elaborate, have been deployed to address the burglaries.

The LAPD’s Wilshire Division is planning a walk with members of the Larchmont community on Tuesday, April 11, at 3 p.m. Officers and community members will meet at the corner of Rosewood Avenue and Arden Boulevard and walk through the neighborhood.

Capt. Sonia Monico, with the LAPD’s Wilshire Division, said recent crimes in the Wilshire Division’s side of the Larchmont area and Hancock Park include mail thefts and vehicle burglaries. She said three residential burglaries occurred during the early part of the year, but the Wilshire Division’s portion of the community has not experienced an uptick in burglaries like the Olympic Division’s area.

She cited a robbery on March 29 in which two suspects stole a bag of coins from a female victim as she walked away from a Wells Fargo bank branch near Beverly and Larchmont boulevards. The investigation is ongoing. Detectives found security camera footage of the suspects, who she said were Black men in their 20s to 30s, 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet tall and 160 pounds wearing black and gray hooded sweatshirts. They fled in a dark-colored vehicle, she added.

“Those are things that are very concerning. [We are] making sure that our officers are out there engaged in the area,” Monico said. “Some of the things that we can do as far as personal safety is pay attention to our surroundings, because sometimes these guys show up from nowhere. If you’re walking outside the bank or into the bank, please stay off your phone. Park in an area that’s closest to the door, if you can, and pay attention to your surroundings. If something doesn’t seem right, it doesn’t feel comfortable, stay inside the bank, or go with somebody else from the bank. They seem to look for people that are by themselves.”

Business owners were cautioned to keep cash registers and tills out of sight, particularly when stores are closed. Monico said alarms, security cameras and lighting improvements are helpful. She also stressed the importance of reporting all suspicious activity so police are aware of incidents.

Monico and Pelayo also credited the private security company SSA, which operates in the Hancock Park, Larchmont and Windsor Square communities, as a valuable resource and “force multiplier.” SSA has three cars that patrol, answer calls from customers and work closely with the LAPD. She said business owners and residents can contact police for help with making their properties safer, and officers will conduct site visits and provide information and advice. For information, call the Wilshire Division’s community relations office at (213)973-0200.