Encino Home Invasions Are So Bad the Acting LAPD Chief Is Expressing Condolences

Burglaries in Encino have gotten so out of control, even the LAPD's top cop is weighing in on the scourge of break-ins that have affected residents of the tony zip code in the Valley.

The LAPD could not provide statistics for the number of reported burglaries in the area because the department's CompStat system, the “strategic control system” designed for the collection and feedback of information on crime and related quality of life issues in the city, is currently down. But burglaries are up by roughly 40 percent, two LAPD officials confirm to Los Angeles on the condition of anonymity.

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Celebrities, rappers, businesses, are among those being targeted in the high-end thefts, Los Angeles reported last week.

City Councilor Nithya Raman said she is "alarmed" by the number of burglaries that have been reported by her constituents, adding: "No one should have to live in fear in their own home."

Raman said she met with Choi, who promised an uptick in police patrols in the neighborhood. "Additionally, LAPD’s Commercial Crimes Division – responsible for investigating property and financial crime – has partnered with the West Valley Division, which means increased investigative resources focused on these incidents as well as sustained interjurisdictional communication, including with the Sheriff’s Office," she said in a press release last week specifically addressing the rash of home invasions.

Last week LAPD brass, along with Raman and the representatives from the Mayor's Office, held a public safety meeting on Zoom for those affected to get answers. In some of these cases, detectives say that the criminals are using technology like wifi render home security systems useless while the break in. Others appear to be  part of skilled burglary crews who mask up, get in, and get out with the loot.

Residents are so rattled, they are considering arming themselves. "It doesn't feel like anyone is out her to protect us," Mike McKinnon, 32, a married dad of two said. "I am seriously considering signing up for a gun safety course."