Captain Matt Eisenberg, head of the West Boca office (District 7) of the Palm Beach County Sheriff, spoke this morning at the West Boca Chamber Breakfast. His talk included an extensive PowerPoint presentation.
The event was held at the Jimmy the Greek Taverna on Glades just west of the Turnpike, with a buffet.
The food was excellent but the room was not laid out well for the crowd. It worked but it was a little tight in places.
Steve Perman started off the program with a personal thank you to the attendees and thoughtful remarks about September 11th.
Also discussed was the upcoming golf tournament. We will post details in a separate post.
Typical for the group, we went around and introduced ourselves.
Next meeting October 9th with Robert Watson, History professor from Lynn University and involved in the upcoming presidential debate. It will be at Boca Greens. The event will start early.
The event was sponsored by Buckingham Doolittle & Burroughs, a law firm whose office is near Town Center.
Captain Eisenberg was accompanied by Lt. Todd Baer.
He started by talking about the See Something, Say Something program, part of the PBSO’s crime awareness initiative.
He discussed residential and vehicle burglaries. Both decreased slightly from the previous year.
Most residential burglaries occur during the day.
A question about home invasions – response that they are usually drug related, targeting a home thought to be selling drugs.
Top stolen items: jewelry, computers, televisions, and game consoles.
Watch for unfamiliar vehicles backed into driveways. Watch for solicitors going door to door.
People walking between homes. People walking out of homes with large items such as televisions.
Vehicle burglaries hitting parks, day cares, gas stations, shopping plazas and fitness centers.
Don’t leave valuables in your car!
There is an organized crew they call “Felony Lane”.
They use rental vehicles and they’ll tint the windows.
Watch for someone exiting a vehicle and crouching between cars or looking in car windows.
Night vehicle burglaries mostly in residential areas and often done by teens. Top stolen items: change, cell phones, wallets, garage door openers, iPods, gps and guns.
Valet parking was also discussed. There was a fair amount of paranoid questions about using credit cards, debit cards and ATMs. The central theme of the advice was situational awareness. If you’re going to an ATM and a guy in a hoodie and sunglasses is lurking nearby, that might be time to step back.
Internal thefts: family, friends, children’s friends, service workers, solicitors (water testers). They may have drug problems.
Suspicious activity: call non-emergency 561-995-2800 (South County) or 911 for emergencies.
Don’t put yourself in danger. Don’t confront a suspect or tell them you’re calling police, unless it is a life safety issue.
The talk was well received.
