Berkeley police are investigating after dozens of cars were burglarized in West Berkeley Thursday and into Friday morning, following on the heels of another spate of break-ins a little ways across town.
There were 53 reported auto burglaries Thursday night, according to the Berkeley Police Department. Many occurred in the areas of Santa Fe Avenue and Page, Jones and Fourth streets and other parts, according to police records.
Police said it was not yet clear if the break-ins Thursday night and Friday morning were related to the 23 car break-ins that took place Wednesday at the North Berkeley BART station parking lot.
Nor did police have an exact estimate on the cost of the damage to the vehicles or items that may have been stolen.
“Auto thefts and auto burglaries have been a recurring issue,” police posted on Facebook Friday, advising residents to observe some safety tips:
- Park in well-lit, secure areas whenever possible
- Lock your car, roll windows up and set your alarm
- Take all items with you, leaving nothing of value in your car
- Do not keep personal identifying information in your car; “Consider taking photographs of insurance cards and DMV registration information to keep with you versus leaving it inside your glove compartment”
- If you must leave something in your car keep it out of sight, in a locked compartment or in the trunk, if you have one; if stowing items in a trunk, do it before arrival so nobody can see you stowing it
- Keep any charging cords in your car out of sight, since burglars may break in to see if they are attached to devices
- If you must keep electronics in your car, turn off Bluetooth and wifi, put them in airplane mode or shut them down entirely so that nobody can detect signals from outside the car
Police asked any crime victims or witnesses or anyone with information on crimes to call their non-emergency line at 510-981-5900.
