Magnesia Cove Residents Fighting Crime

Erne’s home has been hit twice by buglaries, he finally said enough is enough.

With the help of neighbors and police he’s started a neighborhood watch.

The most recent buglary attempt was last month. Erne says, “I was putting my girls to bed and we saw a person outside, I called 9-1-1 and grabbed my shotgun.”

The whole thing was caught on tape. Erne has installed state of the art security cameras. His neighbors are doing the same. Many are buying guns and better locks.

As part of the neighborhood watch, a volunteer patrol monitors the neighborhood.

At it’s peak thefts were up 17% in the neighborhood now they are almost non-existant. Police have been using its special enforcment teams to crack down on buglaries.

While no one has been caught, crime is down and many are attributing it to good teamwork.

Lieutenant James Navarro with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department says, “It is a joint effort, if you see something suspicious call it in right away, don’t wait a day or a week, call it in as soon as you see it.”

Erne says he’ll continue to do what he’s doing if it means his family and neighbors will remain safe. He says, “We’re aware, and we’re watching.”