Portola Valley: Thieves prey on unlocked vehicles Portola Valley: Thieves prey on unlocked vehicles (May 04, 2005)

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

Thieves in the night are evidently at work in Portola Valley. The Sheriff's Office has received reports of purses, wallets, cash and credit cards disappearing from unlocked vehicles parked on dark driveways in the Westridge neighborhood.

In April, there were 10 such thefts in Portola Valley -- including four more this weekend -- and one in Woodside, said Lt. Ken Jones of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office. In response, the Sheriff's Office has beefed up the night patrols in the towns and detectives are investigating the cases, said Lt. Jones.

"They don't want anything except for, it seems, cash and checkbooks and drivers licenses," said resident Teri McKelvy, who said her family's vehicles had been rifled Tuesday night, April 26.

When she came upon the scene at 6:45 a.m. the next morning, she said the doors on the vehicles were wide open and her husband's wallet was gone. Her cell phone and her husband's golf clubs, while in full view, hadn't been touched.

"It's hard to get into Portola Valley and hard to get out," said Ms. McKelvy. "We have a certain false sense of security."

Credit cards stolen in the thefts have apparently been used in Colma at a gas station and a hardware store and their use has been captured on video tape, said Lt. Jones.

To pass the word to residents about locking their vehicles and removing valuables, the Sheriff's Office asked the Atherton Police Department to use its automated telephone calling system to send a message to each resident in Portola Valley and Woodside.

It will take several days to reach every home, said Lt. Jones, because the Atherton system can make only four calls at a time. The Sheriff's Office has its own automated calling system on order; it should be up and running in about two months, he said.

Removing valuables is more important than locking one's car, said Ms. McKelvy, who said she is using e-mail to warn her friends, one of whom told her that she routinely leaves her car empty of valuables but unlocked and in the driveway so thieves won't feel the need to smash a window to get in.

Since January 2004 and not counting the most recent cases, the Almanac's police call reports show 18 auto break-ins (burglaries) and five thefts from unlocked vehicles in Portola Valley, including 10 from the parking lot at the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve. Three vehicles have been burglarized there since January.

Magazine solicitors had recently descended on the town but have been told to leave, said Lt. Jones, who added that he is talking with Portola Valley officials about clarifying and strengthening the town's solicitation regulations.

The Sheriff's Office is requesting that suspicious activity be immediately reported by calling 911. For more information, call Lt. Jones at 363-4990.

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