Police warn about spike in burglaries in south Palo Alto

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready. Palo Alto police are warning residents in south Palo Alto about a recent uptick in home burglaries in the area, which officers believe may be the work of the same several suspects. In the past month, there have been 19 home burglaries reported to the police department, according to publicly available police logs. All but three of these burglaries targeted homes south of the Oregon Expressway, concentrating in the Greenmeadow, Midtown and Greer Park neighborhoods. The thieves are mainly targeting designer items like handbags, jewelry and cash, according to the police. Depending on the timeline of the investigation, some more recent burglaries may not appear in the logs until days or weeks after they are initially reported. No arrests have been made yet, according to Palo Alto Assistant Police Chief James Reifschneider. “We have had a recent uptick in activity, most of which has been in the southern half of town,” Reifschneider wrote in an email. “We’re not sure why that is, other than to say we believe it’s possible that the same suspects are responsible for multiple incidents.” Reifschneider added that the Palo Alto Police Department is coordinating with other law enforcement agencies whose jurisdictions have seen a similar uptick in burglaries. He did not specify where, but added that it may be the same suspects that have been targeting homes within Palo Alto’s city limits. On Nov. 10, burglars struck three homes in south Palo Alto within an hour, according to the police. In two of those cases, the homes were occupied when burglars entered by breaking through the glass door from the backyard. In the third one, the resident returned home to find that someone had ransacked it, police said. Palo Alto officers held a neighborhood meeting in Greenmeadow this past Sunday to bring awareness to the issue and offer tips to homeowners concerned about a break-in. The best deterrents are those that make the home appear occupied, police said, making it less attractive to thieves. Reifschneider added that alarm systems and surveillance cameras are also helpful, especially when it comes to helping police identify suspects after a burglary has occurred. “Perhaps most importantly, get to know your neighbors so that you can best keep an eye out for suspicious activity in your neighborhood and promptly report it to the police department,” Reifschneider said.
https://www.paloaltoonline.com/crime/2025/11/21/police-warn-about-spike-in-burglaries-in-south-palo-alto/