Over the past three months, seven downtown businesses have been burglarized. This was determined using data from the LexisNexis Community Crime Map (https://communitycrimemap.com/map).

At least three of these occurred in the same building. On July 10 around 4:30am, Terrace Skate Shop was burglarized. The burglar, an unknown male, smashed the front window to gain entry and stole the cash register and some store items.

Following the break-in and burglary, Terrace owner Andrew Matthias decided to temporarily remove most of the inventory from his shop.

“We don’t feel safe having our stuff in here,” he said, adding that other shops in his building had been targeted for burglaries over the past few months.

Lost Levels window was smashed and the cash register stolen on July 11. Photo by Saskia Kennedy.

The following day, just around the corner in the same building, Lost Levels video game store was burglarized. Again, a front window was smashed and the cash register stolen. A smaller window of Terrace skate shop was also broken.

A couple weeks later, on July 26 another store in the same building, Stitch and Feather, was burglarized in the same way—the front windows smashed and the cash register stolen.

On July 26, Stitch + Feather’s window was smashed and their cash register stolen. Photo by Saskia Kennedy.

According to Fullerton Police Captain Jon Radus, officers have increased patrols in the downtown area due to the recent break-ins.

Captain Radus offered the following helpful tips for small business owners:

—Make sure all outside entrances and inside security doors have deadbolt locks. If you use padlocks, they should be made of steel and kept locked at all times. Remember to remove serial numbers from your locks, to prevent unauthorized keys from being made.

—Light the inside and outside of your business, especially around doors, windows, skylights, or other entry points. Consider installing covers over exterior lights and power sources to deter tampering.

—A determined burglar can usually find their way into your store. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t do things to slow them down. Replacing traditional glass with a tempered variety makes a smash and grab much more difficult.

—Leaving cash registers empty and open after closing can help prevent burglars from entering.

Those who have tips may contact Sgt. Dan Diaz at 714-738-6580.