Open doors, windows lead to rash of burglaries in West LA

Joe Petersburger/Getty Images/National Geographic RF

Going out? Might want to lock that thing. Along with school closures, dehydration and flex alerts, the August heatwave is causing a slew of burglaries.

Along with school closures, dehydration and flex alerts, there's another side-effect of L.A.'s ongoing heatwave: a rash of open-window burglaries on the West side. 

The LAPD's Pacific Division saw 18 home burglaries just last week, a higher-than-usual bout that has Captain Brian Johnson blaming the weather.

"We've seen instances where people have been leaving doors and windows open because of the heat," Johnson said.

Over half the burglaries were in homes where entryways were left open. Burglaries are back down slightly this week, but the heat is expected to continue until the weekend.

Johnson says if you can bear it, keep those doors and windows shut — at least while you're out.