To all:
Last evening the first residential burglary in our village for this year occurred at a home on Bacon Road. This burglary directly fits the pattern of the South American Theft Group and there is little doubt that they were responsible for committing it.. Multiple people were involved, the point of entry was on the second floor of the home into the primary bedroom and the time of occurrence was just after dark. In the past, this group has hit two to three times in close succession prior to moving on, so this is a time period of increased concern and heightened awareness. Our department is using every available resource to investigate last evening’s burglary in partnership with the Nassau County Police Department, including reviewing the license plate captures on our LPR network around the time of the burglary. As you may well be aware, our department was able to apprehend a member of this theft group last month, preventing a burglary from occurring in the village and likely disrupting a pattern that may have led to additional burglaries. Generally, this group operates shortly after dark, so currently a major time of concern is between 6:30 pm and 9:30 pm. Very often the group will target homes by walking in through the rear yard and the burglars are often dropped off by a car that remains occupied and in motion, until they have completed the burglary and are again picked up. The burglars will often wear dark clothing and backpacks.
The purpose of my email today is to alert you that this group is again operating in this general area and request that you please consider taking the following actions.
- Activate your alarm system, even if you are at home.
- Pay close attention to motion activations on your camera systems.
- Promptly report any suspicious activity to our department, no matter how trivial.
- Keep interior lights on throughout your home to make it appear occupied, this includes on the second floor and in the primary bedroom. When members of this group have been debriefed, they have said that they target homes that appear unoccupied because they are dark inside.
- Keep radios, sound systems, and/or televisions on if you are away from home and keep the lights on throughout the house.
- Keep all windows and doors locked.
Our department will deploy additional personnel on burglary patrol during this period of concern.
By working together, we can reduce the risks that our village will be targeted again.
Regards to all,
Stuart K. Cameron
Chief of Police
Village of Old Westbury Police Department
One Store Hill Road
Old Westbury, N.Y. 11568
(516) 626-0200
SCameron@OldWestburyPD.ORG