By Mary O’KEEFE

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept/Crescenta Valley Station sent out a notice via social media warning residents to be cautious while shopping or dining at local businesses.

Deputies are noticing an increase in thefts where people are shopping, or dining,  at local business establishments and items are stolen from purses, according to Sgt. John Gilbert.

“The purse may be on the back of a chair, when at a restaurant, or the purse is [placed] in the basket [of a cart] while shopping and the [owner] is looking in a different direction,” Gilbert said.

He added not having a purse in the owner’s  “immediate control” presents an opportunity for criminals to take items out of the purse without notice. The criminals will grab a wallet, phone or other personal items.

“The owner of the purse may not realize it for 10 to 15 minutes, not until they go to pay the bill or when they get home,” Gilbert said.

Quite often the suspect is working with a second suspect. They work in tandem as one suspect distracts the victim by engaging them in conversation while the other takes items from their purse.

In one report, a while shopping a woman reported that a man came up and asked her a question. She responded but thought their interaction was suspicious so she immediately checked her purse and found her wallet was still there. It wasn’t until she returned home that she noticed her cellphone was missing. She went back to the store and after security reviewed the surveillance video, found that while she was talking to the first suspect, the second took her phone from her purse.

In past reports, women had stated they had placed their purse on the back of a chair while at a bar. They never left their chair without taking their purse, however there were people who walked up behind them to order from the bar. When they went to pay they found their wallets were missing.

Gilbert suggested that residents be aware of their surroundings and of where their property is located.

“Our station wants to remind the public to never leave your purse open or unattended,” according to a LASD CV Station statement. “Keep your purse in your immediate control and do not have the contents immediately accessible.”

Gilbert added people relax sometimes because crime is low in the area, but these types of thefts can happen anywhere.

“We hope conveying this message will [cause] people to be more vigilant,” he said.

  Mary Okeefe