Have you seen these chalk marks on your sidewalk, driveway or trees? If you have, burglars may be casing your home.
If you live in parts of the Willow Glen area of San Jose, Calif. you have definitely seen some of these markings, which pinpoint homes for burglary. These symbols are most often seen in the UK, but have been appearing here in recent weeks.
The area’s been troubled by a string of breaking and entering. A very long string. And some residents have seen these chalk marks on their driveways, sidewalks or trees.
(What, you thought they’d text? )
It seems that aggressive door-to-door “solicitors” may be casing homes and targeting them with the marks.
How do I know this? Willow Glen has an e-list. Subscribers share all sorts of information just as if they were talking over the back fence, and the list has been buzzing these past two months with talk of “solicitors” ringing doorbells late at night, men sitting in cars casing homes and far too many burglaries. These marks have been sighted locally, although not yet in my direct neighborhood.
Be wary. If you see these symbols in your neighborhood, report them to the police department. And be sure your doors and windows are locked when you leave the house, or even when you’re home.
And here’s what is really disturbing. Despite many calls to the police, these “solicitors” are still wandering around the area. Our law enforcement resources are stretched to the limit and they can not follow up on many of these calls. That’s the damn truth. So: men are still ringing doorbells at 9:25pm at night, wandering neighborhoods assessing robbery potential and burglaries are continuing.
Which is why, much as I believe in our right to protest, I am unhappy that the Occupy movement is diverting law enforcement personnel that could be fighting crime.
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