VL burglaries on February 9

Bay Area News is reporting that two burglaries happened on the same day on February 9 (this past Thursday) in nearby Victory Lakes:

The two streets are called Tahoe and Kinston.

These burglaries appeared to follow a common pattern of occurrence: during business hours when the owners are away at work and the house is empty.  Three months ago, I blogged about an attempted break-in here in Centerpointe in which men entered the home of a woman on Walnut Pointe, apparently thinking it was empty.  At that time, I also linked to some very down-to-earth tips to help folks avoid this kind of thing. 

Anyway, the message to take away from this is be vigilant.  Burglars often do not simply flip coins to choose which houses to target.  They often observe, plan, and confirm ahead of time which owners can be counted on to be away during business hours, and which have people remaining in their houses (stay-at-home Moms, retired people, grandparents, shift workers, etc).  Report any suspicious people to the police.  Or if you think that reporting to the police is a bit too alarmist for the circumstances you are seeing, at least write down any unfamiliar license plate numbers (I keep pen and scratch pad close to my newly-refinished front door, and sometimes snap cell phone pics when I'm not sure how to interpret what I'm seeing).  At least that way you can later ask your neighbors if those cars are familiar to them.  If you later see the same car/same license plate coming and going again, and none of your neighbors have proven to know who that person is, your suspicions may begin to increase to the point where you judge that it's time to ask the police some questions.