I hope the MV police are working with police in neighboring cities to fight back. I understand Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City and Los Altos are also experiencing higher residential break-ins. Rumor among friends (some of who have been broken into) is there is a group of young men aged 20-30 years old who break into homes in these cities, steal small electronics and jewelry (anything they can get away with quickly) sell everything and do it again the next day. Some are arrested, but with the budget cuts and the new "early release" programs they are now released only 3-6 months after arrest, so it's pretty easy to get back in the game.

I've also heard they often pose as solicitors, checking out neighborhoods and watching people coming and going. If they knock on the door and no one is home, one will try to enter from the back while the others look out. An open window just makes their job easier.

The only way to really fight back is to know your neighbors and report anything suspicious you see in your neighborhood to police. (strangers hanging around, spending unusual amounts of time parked on the street watching people, etc). Also, I've been told by a friend (so I guess someone should verify) that it is illegal to solicit door to door in Mountain View without a special permit, most people at your door do not have that permit so they are breaking the law, it's ok to call police for an un-permitted solicitor. The police can only do so much, so if we want this to stop we need to work together and look our for our neighbors.

Every one needs to get a dog, burglars pass by dog address's.

I've called the MVPD on obviously bogus door-to-door solicitors on several occasions. Not once have they responded. Not once.

You are on your own. Deal with it.

I live on a dead-end street in Mountain View. People love to sit along one section of our street in the dark. In the morning you will see the remains of their activities. McDonald's bags, beer cans, and the occasional condom wrapper. I called the Police Department to see what could be done. They said "Call us when you see someone parking there."

So later that week I notice a car sitting there with two people in it. I call the MVPD. "What's the problem?" the rude dispatcher keeps asking me. "It's not illegal to sit in a parked car." I get told. Eventually they tell me they will send someone when they are available.. no one ever shows up and the car pulls away 90 minutes later.

But we get a door-to-door sales person walking the neighborhood during the day and you will get a cop there in minutes. That's about the city not getting their money. Can't have that.

Geez people, stop focusing so much on the trivial. So what if residential burglaries are up from last year. Let's appreciate what's really important: Police revenues from traffic operations are way up!

"Thompson said the three men in the van were arrested, in addition to Hernandez. Eric Chamale a 21-year-old San Mateo man was arrested on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy; Jose R. Chamale, a 22-year-old San Mateo Man was arrested on suspicion of burglary and possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia; and Leonel Curup, a 27-year-old San Mateo man, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy."

These must be the gang of 20-30 someone mentioned, they tried to hit Google, but failed. See last Thursdays voice. Is there a link in the last names of these people? Or is it just racial profiling.

When is an invasion not an invasion?

When it's labor arbitrage. When it's labor arbitrage, you call the invaders "guest workers", and claim your lawn would be ruin and grapes and lettuce would cost zillions of dollars per pound.

The late great Caesar Chavez, a man I greatly admired, detested illegal immigration. He knew that it could break the back of his all-too-necessary and fledgling union, the United Farm Workers.

He was right.

Old Ben....you are so correct....

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A number of residential break-ins now close to my home. I see an increase in break-ins whenever remodeling is going on in the neighborhood. With more people who hire domestic help, nannies, gardeners, maids etc on regular basis, it is easy for them or their associates to know who's home and who's not

Why no arrests? It's like carte blanche now in our area.