Crime & Safety

Front Yard Veggie Thefts in Livermore

Livermore Police discuss what residents can do to prevent these and other small thefts.

You see them around town sometimes: a front yard garden filled with ripe treats, a fruit tree heavy with fruit. Is it OK for passerbys to stop and take a few natural snacks with them from someone else's home without asking?

A Livermore resident posted on the Livermore Patch boards this week that someone had stolen her harvest from her front yard garden. 

"To the jerk that took my harvest of fresh fruit from my front yard & basically the food from my family's table...."

The topic piqued the Livermore Patch's Facebook community.

"I had someone steal from my plot in the community garden - not my veggies, but a bag of manure! I wasn't sure whether to be grateful that they left my veggies alone or insulted that they preferred manure to my veggies," said Mick.

"Someone stole the top of our bird bath from the backyard. I'm still baffled!" said Jack.
Another other readers confirmed that they, too, have had this happen to them.

"Happens to me all the time. Aside from putting up an electrical shock fence, I'm not sure how to keep rude, ignorant people from coming on my "private" property."

Livermore Patch
spoke with Livermore Police Department's Crime Prevention Officer Nicole Aguon about the incident, which she says is the first she's heard of happening and what residents can do.

Simple measures that can be taken include installing security cameras and keeping backyards secured, gates closed and padlocks locked.

"Security cameras are a deterrent in and of themselves but can help after the fact," Aguon says.

But nothing is more effective than a watchful community. 

Find out what's happening in Livermorewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Neighborhood Watch is about people paying attention, knowing who belongs where," Aguon says. "If you see someone out front picking tomatoes, it helps to know if they belong there. You’d be surprised how many don’t know their neighbors."

The city of Livermore has a strong support of the Neighborhood Watch program, with more than 175 groups keeping a vigilant eye on their neighborhoods. 

Find out what's happening in Livermorewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We want to empower people to call the police, she says. "One thing leads to another and we like to be called."

To report a property crime like the ones in this article or for more information on starting a Neighborhood Watch in your neighborhood, call Livermore Police Department's Crime Prevention Officer Nicole Aguon at 925-371-4978 or email her at naguon@cityoflivermore.net.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.