Police to Merchants at Crime Forum: Tell Customers to Shed Their Hoodies

Long after the lights go out at Sanfilippo’s Pizza, owner and neighborhood staple Anna Sanfilippo watches The Village’s boulevard from her nearby residence. From crowds leaving Joltin’ Joe’s to kids practicing tricks on their skateboards, she sees it all every night.

“I watch all the buildings there, from Jitters all the way down,” Sanfilippo said at the La Mesa police station Tuesday evening. “So if you guys have any buildings there, I’ll take care of them for you.”

Sanfilippo was one of many to speak at a police forum hosted by the Police Department amid concerns about a recent crime spike—10 armed robberies were reported in October alone, two of which were attempts.

“I think what made October so different than any others is the violence that was involved, with almost all the robberies having two black males with handguns,”  Police Chief Ed Aceves told more than 50 local business owners and residents.

He continued: “We felt we could do a better service for all of you if we provided you with a little information.”

For starters, police offer free site assessments to local business owners—aiming to make their establishments less vulnerable.

Suggestions could include things like keeping façade windows unobstructed, allowing for a clear line of sight; using service windows earlier in the evening; and providing ample lighting around the building and the parking lot.

Also an asset: having video surveillance and training employees to access the tape for police purposes. What may be 20 seconds of panic for a store clerk can be replayed indefinitely to offer a wealth of information about the suspect.

“We love the video; it tells us what happened,” said Detective Dale Perry. “A clerk that has a weapon or something pointed at him is going to be nervous. They can tell you what the gun looked like a lot of times; they can’t tell you what the person looked like—especially if they’re covered up.”

To battle issues with concealing clothing, Aceves suggested attacking the problem head on by having a store policy prohibiting patrons to wear certain items—like hats hoodies and backpacks.  

“If someone walks in with a hoody, tell them to take it off,” he said.

With officers throughout the city, police said reporting the crime as quickly as possible is helpful, though people are encouraged not to call during a crime unless they feel absolutely comfortable doing so.

If using a land line, simply dialing 911 is enough because dispatchers can listen to the events unfolding while pinpointing the exact location of the crime. Callers using cell phones are urged to give hints about their address if they can’t simply say it—since cell towers offer only a wide radius.

But whatever the case, call, the audience was told.

“If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t,” Aceves said. “Trust your instincts. … We’d much rather go to a call that ended up being, ‘Whoops, sorry.’ than you didn’t call and something happened to you or one of your employees.”

Other information and advice exchanged during the forum included:

• Businesses open 24 hours usually see the most crime between 1 and 4 a.m.; for those that close in the evening, crime mostly occurs one to two hours before closing time.
• Businesses near freeway on- and off-ramps are often at higher risk.
• Be the “perfect witness” during a robbery—remain calm and cooperate with demands. You are worth more than money.
• After a robbery has occurred, lock the building and call 911. Don’t touch anything or speak with other witnesses as they can “take each other’s stories.”
• Prevent robberies and crime by greeting everyone who walks into your business and staying alert to your surroundings.
• Installing height markers on doors will offer more information about a suspect.
• Whenever possible, make sure there are two employees opening and closing up shop—they’ll also make for “more witnesses.”
• La Mesa isn’t specifically being targeted—when asked, most of the criminals didn’t know where they were.

To schedule a site assessment for your business, contact Crime Prevention Specialist Erin Jones at 619-667-7545.