Burglary Information
A message from Menlo Park Police Chief Dave Norris
Menlo Park has experienced ongoing residential burglaries over the past year, and I want to provide a clear update on what your Police Department is doing to address this issue.
In early March, I attended an introductory Neighborhood Watch meeting on a block impacted by recent break-ins. Later, while attending an introduction of the new San Mateo County Sheriff in the western part of Menlo Park, I also had the opportunity to engage in some discussion with some of you on similar recent burglaries. I was moved by your stories, and felt the fear and pain that many of you have expressed from your experience as victims of these crimes – including some harrowing stories of interrupted break-ins while you were home!
I heard your interests –
- increased visible patrols
- intensive investigation and pursuit of the criminals responsible
- officer availability, attentive service, and follow-up
- ever-improving technology
We also had an opportunity to share our best recommendations with you on how you can best partner with us through calling in suspicious activity, taking prevention measures with your homes and property, and communicating with your neighbors and us to stay in touch on the latest information.
The Data
Residential burglaries remained relatively flat from 2024 (57) to 2025 (59) when we remove cases involving only stolen bicycles from enclosed areas. While the overall numbers have not increased dramatically, we recognize that any invasion of one’s home is deeply personal and unsettling.
In the first two months of 2026, we recorded 13 residential burglaries, putting us on pace for an increase - something we are committed to preventing.
Much of this activity mirrors trends across the entire Bay Area and extends to similar communities statewide. Organized criminal crews focus on high value targets and move quickly between jurisdictions. We remain in daily communication with neighboring agencies, sharing information and coordinating our response.
What We Are Doing Now
We have increased proactive patrols in the areas most affected. Evidence-based strategies such as high visibility saturation patrols are effective tools for crime reduction. These efforts are part of our daily work, and we know they have already deterred crews who entered Menlo Park, saw our units, and left without committing crimes.
Our Problem Oriented Policing (POP) Unit continues focused burglary suppression operations, monitoring known access routes and maintaining high visibility patrols - driven by real-time crime patterns.
Detectives are working these cases aggressively. Two recent arrests have been made in connection with multiple Bay Area-Wide residential burglaries, with recovered property returned to victims. Detectives are coordinating with multiple agencies regarding regional crews tied to cases here in Menlo Park, based on both investigations made by other agencies and cases broken by our own Menlo Park PD Team. These partnerships have already resulted in case closures, and we continue collaborating to disrupt these crews’ operations - from their planning to how they profit from these crimes.
Technology and Tools
Our Flock license plate recognition network helps us identify vehicles entering and leaving affected neighborhoods. Although some offenders use tactics like stolen or “cold” plates to avoid detection, both our strategies and our technology continue to adapt.
We are also deploying mobile CCTV trailers, which act as both deterrent and investigative tools, while maintaining residential privacy through built in field-of-view technology, to only record in publicly accessible areas.
Learn more about our Flock ALPR system and our Mobile CCTV Pilot Program.
Register your public-facing security video with MPPD.
Community Engagement and Prevention
Our POP Unit, Criminal Investigation Detectives, and staff trained in CPTED – Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design - are meeting with neighborhoods, HOAs, and community groups to share prevention strategies and offer individualized assessments. These assessments help residents improve lighting, visibility, camera coverage, and other environmental factors that reduce opportunities for crime. Find out more about CPTED. Request a CPTED security review.
We will continue outreach, including guidance on reporting suspicious activity and how to submit surveillance footage - including through our security camera registry program. We are currently discussing upcoming additional community gatherings to provide updates and tips in person.
Many blocks in Menlo Park communicate through a text or email thread, but MPPD would love to connect with you and discuss how we can partner and share information. We know that when neighbors know each other better, they are stronger and safer as a community. Neighborhood Watch is a great way to turn community connection into partnership with our Team. Start a Neighborhood Watch on your block.
Looking Ahead
We are planning additional burglary suppression operations, expanding our use of technology, and continuing our strong regional coordination. While drones are not currently part of the MPPD toolbox, neighboring agencies can assist when needed, and we are evaluating this technology for potential future use. Our automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system continues to evolve, and we are adding investigative software tools that will help shorten investigative timelines and connect cases across multiple jurisdictions.
Residential burglary remains a top priority for the Menlo Park Police Department. While no agency can prevent every crime, our officers are committed to being proactive, visible, and data driven. Over the past several years, overall crime has declined while proactive enforcement has increased — a trend we intend to keep moving in the right direction. While we should be cautious about drawing direct causation, the decline in crime and increased proactivity are occurring together.
Even with this overall decline in crime, we recognize that residential burglaries are particularly disruptive and intrusive – it’s scary to have a stranger inside your private space. This motivates us to disrupt burglary activity and commit to keeping you feeling safe.
I constantly remind our team of the “Four P’s”: Prepared, Polished, Professional, and Proactive. You deserve and receive professional public safety services. When our officers demonstrate these values in the community, I fully support their proactivity — because your safety is our goal.
If you have questions, want a CPTED assessment, or would like to engage in neighborhood safety efforts, please reach out at any time.