Residential Burglary
in the Pill Hill / High St / Point Area

Brookline Police Department Community Presentation
November 10, 2010
Chief Daniel O'Leary, Lieutenant Phil Harrington, Sergeant Robert Disario, Officer Casey Hatchett, Detective Jen Paster.

Overview of the Recent Series of Residential Burglaries

In the last three months, there have been 10 breaks and 2 attempts in the Pill Hill / High St / Point area.

• One in July, two in August, five in September and four in October. None have been reported in the first 10 days of November.
• Last incident occurred on 10/25 on Hawthorn Road.

Point of Entry

• Windows have been the most frequent point of entry for these burglaries.

Day of Week

The day of the week of these breaks has been spread out with the most common period being:

• Between Friday afternoon - Sunday midnight (6)
• Wednesdays (3)
• There was a known date/time on the High Street Place break which was a Tuesday at 9:42pm, suspect apprehended.

Time of Day

The time of day for these breaks has also been spread out with the most common time period being:

• Early evening (5pm) through midnight, with a known break at 9:42pm and also right at midnight.
• The evening/overnight breaks have been window entries.
• Door Entries are Daytime Breaks: There have been three daytime breaks with door entry: one at 62 Chestnut Street (back door entry) and two at 63 Franklin Street (8:00-5:45pm) occurring at the same time with a pried rear door. This same day, the Boston PD chased a black male on a bike in Moss Hill, near JP and it could possibly be same suspect.

Target

The targets in these breaks have been primarily:

• Jewelry
• Laptops and other small electronics
• Change/money

Geographic Overview

• The original target area of these breaks was a pretty small hot spot (within about a 500 yard area) between Jamaica Road and Prince Street (for the first 8) but the last four have been over the hill on Upland, Irving and Hawthorn.
• Five of the 12 breaks were in buildings abutting a park/playground.
• Almost all have been 3 story multi-family homes.

Burglaries Town-wide

• Total of 135 YTD, up 52% from 2009.
• Several significant burglary series in 2010.
• Between May - July, we had over 20 residential breaks perpetrated by Robert Forsyth who was apprehended in Florida on Sept 13th. Forsyth gained entry by prying open front doors with a screwdriver and targeting cash and jewelry. He worked primarily in the area north of Harvard Street.
• A second suspect has also been arrested, Tyrone Saunders, who is suspected of breaking into several north side residences in August/September. Saunders has targeted laptops and prescription medications.
• Series of window entries (12) in north Brookline (Sectors 1 & 3) late spring. Cases still active.

Residential Breaks - Bordering Areas of Boston

• 18 Residential Breaks occurred during this same timeframe within 500 yards of our border.
• Districts abutting the "Pill Hill" area are B2 (Roxbury, Mission Hill), D4 (Back Bay, South End, Fenway) and E-13 (Jamaica Plain).

Significant Arrests

• Tyrone Saunders, 5'8'', 170 lbs, 46 years old, Chelsea, MA.
• Gelendaly Diaz, 5'1", 120 lbs, 30 years old, Dorchester, MA.
• Angelo Ayuso, 5'7", 225 lbs, 23 years old, homeless.

Stay informed!

• Brookline Police
• CrimeReports
• Follow us on Facebook (search for Brookline MA Police Department)

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Additional Notes (by Rob Daves)

The Police Department believes that the suspects involved in the most recent break-ins in the High Street Hill neighborhood have been arrested (for other B&E's). There have been no incidents in our area since Oct 25.

The police also confirmed that historically our neighborhood has been one of the safest. This recent rash of crimes is indeed unusual.

Some tips:

• The obvious: lock your doors and windows (often B&E's involve unlocked doors).
• Place a wooden dowel or stick in the track above the lower window sash to prevent your windows from being opened easily. Sash locks are easily bypassed.
• Trim shrubbery adjacent to windows and doors.
• Don't leave purses and computers in areas where they can be seen by anyone peering in a window.
• Be observant. Report any activity that seems the least bit odd. One team of suspects was a man/woman team (not all suspects look like bad guys); one guy "cased" houses on bicycle. If you see something, say something.
• Ask neighbors to watch your house.
• Install motion-activated exterior flood lights.
• If you are going way for an extended time you can ask the BPD to put your house on a patrol watch list.
• Program your phone to speed dial the Brookline Police directly -- 617-730-2222. This will result in a slightly faster response than if you dial 911. If you call from your home landline phone the dispatcher (BPD's or the 911 dispatcher) can also identify your location automatically.
• Under any circumstances do not attempt to engage a intruder. Get away and call the police. Most of the intruders are looking for a quick score and are not interested in a confrontation and will flee if discovered. Besides any time tangling with a thug will delay the police response. Your first action should be to getaway and call.
• Make a record (including serial numbers) of your property. You can also videotape the contents of your home. If things are stolen such info can be used to recover and prosecute suspects. Local pawn shops are required to submit regular reports of items pawned so any description can be useful.
• Remove not only your GPS from your car but also remove the mount and then wipe off the marks from the suction cup on the windshield glass. That telltale smudge is often enough to encourage a thief to break the glass and ransack your car.

Be alert to recent crime trends. You can follow the Brookline Police Blog, CrimeReports, or Brookline Patch (one of the fastest to post the latest local crime info).