Detective says some home burglaries may be a result of drug addicts

Burglars targeting homes in Thousand Oaks may be young drug addicts from good families, according to local law enforcement.

“Increasingly, burglars fit the profile of young people in their late teens or early 20s who are opium addicts without sophisticated criminal records,” said Eric Buschow, a detective with the T.O Police Department.

They may first become addicted to morphine-based prescription pain killers then progress to a “cheap heroin” addiction that causes a high level of desperation, Buschow said. The young addicts begin stealing from family and friends to support their habit, then they start stealing from neighbors and others.

“Recently we had someone suspicious in his early 20s knocking on doors in Thousand Oaks,” Buschow said. The young man told the person who answered the door that he was looking for his lost dog. “Who does that?” Buschow asked. That same day on the same street, another house was burglarized.

Buschow said that companies from outside Conejo Valley hire gang members and excons to sell door to door, bringing them in vanloads into the city. The salespeople often carry no valid identification. Police will respond to calls from residents reporting strangers selling door to door or looking for lost animals. To report suspicious activity, call the Ventura County Sheriff ’s Department’s nonemergency number, (805) 6549511, with a description of the peddler.

Burglars often will knock on doors just to see if anyone is home. If no one answers, the thieves will “find a way inside, usually through an unlocked door or window,” Buschow said.

Often burglars will find a way in through a dog door, either by going through it or reaching inside to turn the doorknob.

Buschow said many people won’t turn on their home alarms, fearing that their dogs will set them off. And dogs aren’t a good deterrent for thieves. “Dogs are easily bribed,” he said. “Burglars bring dog biscuits.”

According to police records, burglaries in Thousand Oaks have gone down since 2007, when there were 209 reported. In 2008, there were 157, and about the same number, 159, last year.

A few precautions can prevent burglaries, Buschow said.

Lock doors and windows and set home alarms.

Watch for strangers and call the police if something looks suspicious.

Keep the sheriff’s non-emergency number posted on the refrigerator or have it on speed dial.

Keep a record of serial numbers for electronic items such as TVs and cameras. Engraver devices, available at hardware stores, can be used to mark valuables with a driver’s license number, Buschow said. Don’t use a Social Security number, he said.

“We have a database that goes out to other law enforcement agencies that we can put your serial numbers in. If those items are found, an arrest can be made for possession of stolen property,” Buschow said.

He suggested photographing jewelry because it’s often difficult to describe unique items. He also recommended keeping valuables such as jewelry and cash somewhere besides the master bedroom, where burglars expect to find them.

“A huge, heavy safe bolted to the slab of the house is a deterrent,” Buschow said. A burglar is usually looking for something valuable he can easily put in his pocket or backpack and get away quickly, he said.