If you Love It, Lock It Up

Spring has sprung and hopefully, we’ll be seeing less rain and warmer days ahead in Dana Point. That means spending endless hours at the beach, hiking outdoors, and exploring all that our community has to offer, which leads us to the best advice we can offer our residents and visitors… If you love it, lock it up.

We want to encourage everyone to secure your valuables when you are out and about to prevent the temptation of theft. “Our most frequent violations of the law are crimes of opportunity,” said Lt. Margie Sheehan, Dana Point Chief of Police Services. What are crimes of opportunity you ask? Crimes of opportunity are committed without planning when the perpetrator sees that they have the chance to commit the act at that moment and seizes it. Such acts have little or no premeditation.

Here are some examples we frequently see: Thieves steal wallets out of unlocked vehicles or they snatch purses left on the front seats of a locked vehicle.  It doesn’t stop there.  Placing jewelry or cell phone in your shoe at the beach, or maybe under a towel or floor mat in your car is not fooling thieves.  Bad guys are waiting for you to head out into the water and help themselves to your belongings. This year we want to catch epic waves and do our part not to create crime waves.

As you take in spring in Dana Point, explore our city in the palm of your hands with the Dana Point app. The app’s home screen features trails, dining, recreation, and our incredible real-time trolley tracker during the summer months. The app is perfect for locals and visitors to navigate the city and all it has to offer all year long. The app is available for download free on Apple and Android phones. Be sure to stay connected on all of the City of Dana Point’s social channels for news and updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

Reminder: Please report any suspicious activity to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department by calling Sheriff Dispatch at (949) 770-6011.