Crime

In reply to the letter to the editor regarding the traffic issue and Walmart (“ Walmart traffic issue is a red herring ,” Sept. 19), it's probably true that the traffic problem is a non-issue. I really wonder, though, do we need another superstore in the Empire Center? We already have a Target and a Costco, and a Kmart not that far away. Perhaps Whole Foods is not the answer, but anything but a Walmart, please. The type of people the store attracts, and the crime, would be bad for the rest of the businesses in that area.

I'm writing in rebuttal to the Dec. 11 letter “How to keep Walmart out” in the News-Press & Leader. First, the writer forgot to mention the lady at Walmart in Tulsa who was arrested for allegedly mixing meth in the store. That being said, crime is all around us. The people who were shot up in Hollywood by a guy who snapped, and the guy in Rialto shot and killed at Taco Bell in April after he handed over his wallet and valuables. Then there's the alleged shoplifter in the Burbank Kmart who used a police officer's gun against the officer and his partner, and the CVS on San Fernando that has been robbed.

CHANDLER PARK DISTRICT — Residents took a stand on Tuesday night. A colorful cluster of canopies and balloons beside the Chandler bikeway drew between 200 and 300 Burbank residents for the "National Night Out Against Crime," the Burbank Police Department's effort to promote public safety and community ties with police. "It's designed around encouraging people to get together as a single unified group and stand against crime," Burbank Police Sgt. David Gabriel said. "It has as its primary focus Neighborhood Watch, because that is where neighborhoods work together as neighbors and also with local police departments to do something about making neighborhoods safer."

Amber Willard MEDIA DISTRICT WEST -- Police are looking into who is responsible for etching a 6-inch swastika into the paint on the back door of a Burbank health food restaurant. An employee at Juice Heaven at 345 N. Pass Ave. noticed the marking Sunday and reported it to Burbank police Monday afternoon, said Lt. Robert Giles. The vandalism is being considered a hate crime because of its nature, Giles said. The store's owner, Sassi Mizrahi, said the incident was not reported when the marking was discovered because he was out of town.

BURBANK — The Burbank Police Department and Burbank High School officials are conducting a joint investigation into a hate crime that occurred this month in a campus classroom. The perpetrator — who police believe is a student, but not necessarily from the school — reportedly scrawled anti-Semitic epithets on a teacher's whiteboard on two separate occasions during a one-week period, Burbank Police Sgt. Matthew Ferguson said. The teacher is Jewish. Incidents like these become a police matter once they cross over into racial or religious territory, and any alleged perpetrator would be arrested, Ferguson said.

CITY CENTER ? Burbank?s National Night Out ? the program that since 2002 has been bringing the Burbank community together under the banner of uniting against crime ? is scheduled to once again take hold Aug. 4. The Burbank event has grown steadily over the years, going beyond one organized city event to several individual neighborhoods participating. ?We have separated the night into two areas,? said Burbank Police Detective Peter Eirich, the community resource officer. The first is an event sponsored by the city at the Chandler Bikeway, a 2-mile bike path within the former Chandler Boulevard railroad right-of-way, running from Mariposa Street to the city border of Clybourn Avenue.

Ryan Carter Law enforcement officials are encouraging local neighborhoods to unite against crime. Burbank police are inviting the community to participate in the 20th Annual National Night Out Against Crime from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 5 in neighborhoods throughout the city. It would mark the first time the city has participated in the event. Neighborhoods around the country, including Glendale, participate in the event, which is staged to promote crime awareness and prevention, neighborhood safety and to send a message to criminals that citizens are united against crime, Police Chief Thomas Hoefel wrote in a letter to local Neighborhood Watch captains.

Ryan Carter Violent crime is down in the city compared to last year, but a 63% increase in identity theft has police warning residents to be vigilant about protecting their personal information. Det. Matthew Ferguson said the ease of the crime and its minimal punishment after conviction probably contributed to the increase in identity theft, which is on the rise throughout the country. The department's crime analyst, Lt. Kevin Krafft, agreed. "More of the criminal element is getting involved in identity theft, believing they get more bang for their buck with less risk of being caught, " he said.

Ryan Carter BURBANK -- Burbank has been rated the 55th safest city out of 327 around the country in a recent study. The eighth annual Morgan Quitno "Safest City" rankings were based on 2000 crime numbers reported by local law agencies to the FBI, said Scott Morgan, the publisher for Morgan Quitno Press. The Kansas-based firm compiles and publishes state and city statistics for researchers. Each of the study's cities had at least 75,000 residents.

I see the Topless Maids van with a phone number on the side of the van hit the front page of the Oct. 10 issue of the Leader. This seems to be OK, but don't let the dreaded Walmart come to town because of the crime it will bring in. Where is our City Council while all of this is going on? Jim McAllister Burbank

Violent crimes in Burbank jumped 27% last year - a trend police attributed to a spike in robberies, mostly at retail stores where security guards and would-be shoplifters tussle. As a whole, the number of violent crimes - which include robbery, rape, assault and murder - increased from 191 incidents in 2011 to 243 in 2012, according to recent figures released by the Burbank Police Department. The category that jumped the highest was robbery, which shot up 63%, from 68 reported incidents in 2011 to 111 last year.

The Burbank Police Department's crime mapping website could be down for up to two weeks during an upgrade of the system, officials announced Tuesday. The website, CrimeMapping.com, provides information about crime activity in the city by location. The temporary shut down is the result of a larger overall upgrade to the computer system, according to the police department. --Jason Wells, Times Community News Follow Jason Wells on Facebook , Google+ and on Twitter: @JasonBretWells.

A report issued by the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission on Wednesday found that the number of hate crimes reported countywide rose 15% last year after falling to a 21-year low in 2010. The commission's annual study on hate crimes documented 489 such events in 2011 in L.A. County, up from 427 the previous year but far below a peak of 1,031 in 2001. Eight hate crimes occurred in the Burbank-Glendale region last year, said Marshall Wong, a commission staff member who was the report's principal author.

I see the Topless Maids van with a phone number on the side of the van hit the front page of the Oct. 10 issue of the Leader. This seems to be OK, but don't let the dreaded Walmart come to town because of the crime it will bring in. Where is our City Council while all of this is going on? Jim McAllister Burbank

Burbank Unified officials say students at Joaquin Miller Elementary School are “safe and secure” following the shooting death that occurred across the street from the campus Thursday night. Police investigators on Friday morning continued to investigate the scene of the shooting, which occurred shortly before 11 p.m. in the 700 block of Providencia Avenue outside an apartment complex. The shooting victim -- described as white and in his 40s -- was pronounced dead after being taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, making it was the first homicide in Burbank since 2009.

Good morning, readers. Today is Thursday, October 11. Live near the Noth Hollywood Metro Red Line station? You may want to safeguard your electronics and pricey possessions. Crime around the station rose 19 percent , police told the Contra Costa Times . Residents will see an influx of officers around the neighborhood. By now, most people have decided on a presidential candidate, but what about local reps? The mud-slinging campaign tactics of Rep. Brad Sherman and Rep. Howard Berman, two Valley Democrats fighting to represent the same district, have left many voters undecided.

In reply to the letter to the editor regarding the traffic issue and Walmart (“ Walmart traffic issue is a red herring ,” Sept. 19), it's probably true that the traffic problem is a non-issue. I really wonder, though, do we need another superstore in the Empire Center? We already have a Target and a Costco, and a Kmart not that far away. Perhaps Whole Foods is not the answer, but anything but a Walmart, please. The type of people the store attracts, and the crime, would be bad for the rest of the businesses in that area.

Violent crime was down in Burbank for the first half of the year, police reported - a trend officials attributed to no longer having to transport prisoners to and from Glendale during reconstruction of their own jail facility. Aggravated assaults, rapes and robberies, among other more serious offenses - known as Part 1 crimes - were down 9% from January to June when compared to the same period last year. Through June, there were 1,336 Part 1 offenses reported, down from 1,466 last year and 1,524 in 2010, according to preliminary data released this week by police.

Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 11 L.A. neighborhoods, including Sun Valley, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database . Eight neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Sun Valley (A) was the most unusual, recording 10 reports, compared with a weekly average of 3.5 over the last three months. Full report/database > >

I'm writing in rebuttal to the Dec. 11 letter “How to keep Walmart out” in the News-Press & Leader. First, the writer forgot to mention the lady at Walmart in Tulsa who was arrested for allegedly mixing meth in the store. That being said, crime is all around us. The people who were shot up in Hollywood by a guy who snapped, and the guy in Rialto shot and killed at Taco Bell in April after he handed over his wallet and valuables. Then there's the alleged shoplifter in the Burbank Kmart who used a police officer's gun against the officer and his partner, and the CVS on San Fernando that has been robbed.