Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: More Thefts from Vehicles, Concern Over Burglaries

Golden Valley Police are dealing with another wave of thefts from vehicles, and they have a warning for folks living on the east side about potential house burglars.

Golden Valley Patch monitors incident reports (see attached PDF) and arrest reports each week to bring you an update on crime and crime trends in the city. Today's blotter looks at Dec. 5 - Dec. 18.

This month, have been dealing with two different crime trends affecting different parts of the city. They made an arrest in one of the theft waves, but are still working to find suspects in the other wave and are investigating potential house burglaries in the eastern part of the city.

Suspect Arrested in First Wave of Thefts from Vehicles:

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Earlier this month, when several vehicles in the north central part of the city, known as Zone 2, had items stolen from them.

"For the most part, we were looking at GPS units, but there were other things, like an expensive pair of sunglasses," said Joanne Paul, crime analyst for the Golden Valley Police Department. "It was as if this person just walked down the street going from car to car."

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Paul said the suspect didn't break in to any cars because every vehicle was unlocked. She said some even had garage door openers in them.

"We could have had a lot more reports of stolen property if the suspects had gotten into these homes," she said.

She said the suspect walked right past locked vehicles.

Paul said an alert neighbor living in the Golden Valley Arms Apartment complex noticed three people—a juvenile and two adults—acting suspciously the night of the thefts and called police. Paul said when police arrived, they arrested the three for tampering with a vehicle. The 15-year-old was cited for underage drinking.

Paul said after getting a warrant to search the 15-year-old's home, they found much of the stolen property and on Thursday morning.

"That's simply someone looking out the window and saying, 'Hmm, something doesn't look right,' then calling police," Paul said. "We wouldn't have a suspect in custody without that phone call. It's another example of how calling 911 made a huge difference. And this person wasn't witnessing a major crime. Something just didn't seem right."

More Thefts from Vehicles—Windows Smashed In

Police are also dealing with other thefts from vehicle, except the vehicles' glass is now being broken, and the thefts are more scattered around the city—both unlike the previous wave of thefts.

Police investigated six thefts from vehicles on Dec. 15 and 16, and in all cases the windows were broken.

"This seems to be more random, but the message is still the same for everybody," Paul said. "Golden Valley is a safe community, but we cannot take that for granted. Lock your cars. Take your valuables out of the vehicle, and don't leave anything important in plain view."

Paul encourages residents to keep an eye out for suspcious activity because it could make for another lead in this latest wave—something that doesn't often happen without a neighbor stepping forward.

Potential Home Burglaries in Northeast Golden Valley

This is the same thing police are asking of neighbors who live along the border of Golden Valley and Minneapolis near Theodore Wirth Park.

Both Golden Valley Police and Minneapolis police are investigating some burglaries and attempted burglaries in the neighborhood.

Last week, several neighbors who live just northeast of Theo Wirth gathered with a representative from the MPD and the GVPD to discuss their concern over recent burglary attempts.

"We saw these guys prowling around, and they knew (several neighbors) were all home," one neighbor described to the group. "So they headed over to the home of an elderly woman, and pushed in her air conditioner and nearly got inside. We were all calling 911, and the guys got away before the police came, but it could have been really scary."

Minneapolis police urge people to be on the lookout for a maroon conversion van or black SUV slowly driving around neighborhoods and with two to three men riding in them, looking into homes. Police say the men are African-American and between 25 and 40 years old. Police say one of the men will knock on a door of a home to find out if anyone is home, and if someone answers, the man will ask for a random name.

Golden Valley and Minneapolis police ask you to call 911 if you see:

  • A maroon conversion van with gray swirls on it
  • A large, black SUV that drives slowly around neighborhood streets and alleys
  • Anyone acting suspiciously

"The bad guys don't know the borders," Paul said. "We don't have a dotted line down the street separating our cities. So call 911, and then call the other department, too. If you call Minneapolis 911, call my personal phone and leave a message or send me an email. If we don't share info, it's that much harder to catch the bad guys."

You can reach Joanne Paul at 763-593-8058 or jpaul@goldenvalleymn.gov

Other items of note from the Police Blotter (Dec. 5 to Dec. 18):

  • Police are investigating a total of 17 thefts from vehicles that occurred during this time.
  • 32 people were arrested for traffic-related offenses


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