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Crime & Safety

Glendale Police Talk Bear Sightings and Burglaries

Patch had a chance to sit down with Officer Matt Zakarian at "Coffee with the Cops" and learn more about crime in the Crescenta Valley.

officers and volunteers met with community members at  on Saturday morning to talk about recent bear, coyote sightings and reduced crime.

Although no one has been injured in the recent and in La Crescenta, Glendale police Officer Matt Zakarian wants residents to be on the look-out.

"The coyotes, like the bears, aren't used to being down [the mountain], in the general public," Zakarian said.

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"They're looking for food, as we would be if we were wild animals," Zakarian said. "They're coming down for the summer, in the evening. We want to protect our trash and make sure we don't take it out until it's time for pick up."

He reminded residents to protect their trash and put it out close to pick up time. He also urged locals to report bear and coyote sightings to police.

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Zakarian recently spoke with the Pasadena Humane Society about bear appearances and learned they the animals are coming out of hibernation.

"The mothers have pretty much kicked their babies out and they haven't quite figured out that this isn't the place for them to be," Zakarian said. "That's why we have the younger bears coming down. Once we scare them back up into the mountains, that's pretty much it."

Zakarian was ready to answer questions questions about crime.

"It's calm up here as far as crime," Zakarian said. "Crime has levelled off."

As usual, Zakarian reports Montrose and La Crescenta are prone to residential and vehicle burglaries, with "residential burglaries being the most common." .

Some locals met at the morning event to simply to thank the officers.

La Crescenta resident Charmagne Acosta came to support the officers who have helped her family out.

"When my daughter got on the wrong track they were advocates [and instrumental in] getting her into a program that got her off the streets," Acosta said. "If it wasn't for that, my daughter would be on the wrong track. Officer Matt Zakarian really really helped me out and I'm here to support [Zakarian and the other officers]."

Acosta encouraged other community members to get to know the officers. 

"If I didn't know them, I wouldn't have had the help of knowing where to go when I needed them," Acosta said. "They will really go the extra mile to help you."  

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