Does Your Doggie Door Lock? It Probably Should.

As promised before, here are some of the more entertaining crimes that occurred in your ‘hood last week. It’s just a taste of what can be found in the police blotter every week, so make sure to pick up a copy of Oak Cliff People to keep an eye on crime.

Shortly before 1 p.m. on Jan. 5, a burglar climbed through the doggie door on a detached garage in the 400 block of West Brooklyn Avenue and stole more than $600 worth of tools, jewelry, and odds-and-ends. This is at least the second time in the past few weeks that I’ve read a report of a burglar entering through a doggie door. How big are these doors? Or how small are these burglars? I’m not sure if doggie doors can be blocked or locked in any way, but if I had one I’d certainly look into securing it.

Around 10 p.m. on Jan. 5, a thief persuaded a victim to load a combined total of more than $2,000 on four prepaid cards at Valero in the 500 block of South Hampton Road. I don’t understand how this happened, and the report does not say that any type of threat was made, but if an unknown stranger tries to convince you to put money on a card for them…I would suggest you vacate the premises immediately.

More crimes after the jump!

At 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 6, a resident of the 1100 block of Mountain Lake Road watched on camera while a thief entered his garage and stole an expensive tool. The resident actually chased the thief, who dropped the tool and tried to get into his car, but fled on foot when the resident closed in on him. Needless to say, the thief’s failed getaway car was towed to the pound.

Somebody really doesn’t like the Back & Injury Clinic in the 2800 block of Fort Worth Avenue, or maybe they just really want something that’s on the inside. A vandal has shattered the front door twice in two days, after midnight on both Jan. 5 and 7.

Sometime during the afternoon of Jan. 7, a robber entered an unlocked home in the 1000 block of Westmount Avenue and forced open two locked bedroom doors, stealing more than $2,000 cash. This just doesn’t make sense to me. Why would you lock your bedroom doors but leave your front door unlocked? At my house, at least, it’s the other way around, although it couldn’t hurt to lock both sets of doors. I read a surprising amount of crime reports each week that involve thieves stealing items from unlocked residences or vehicles, and I often wonder how many of those were crimes of convenience. People, don’t make these guy’s job any easier for them! Lock your doors.

Just before 8 p.m. on Jan. 11, a man picked up a “friend” and then drove to a store in the 200 block of East Colorado Boulevard. While he ran inside, his shady passenger fled in the pickup, taking the victim’s Glock with him. I don’t know if the passenger was a friend, associate, or as is most likely, an accomplice in crime, but obviously the guy trusted him enough to pick him up and then leave him in his truck while he ran an errand. Clearly he shouldn’t have trusted him at all, however, because the double-crosser stole his truck and his gun.