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Debbie Blackwell stands in front of her home in Willow Glen in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Blackwell says her family used to keep the gate open but due to burglaries in the last few years they keep it closed. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
It was a blustery night in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood on Tuesday as concerned residents sat in white lawn chairs munching on chips and cookies in the driveway of Debbie Blackwell’s house on Padres Drive.
The group of nearly 60 residents who gathered were so fed up with a spate of recent incidents — from stolen cars to home break-ins — they organized a neighborhood watch party with the help of police officers where crime prevention tips were projected on a screen illuminating Blackwell’s garage doors.
But on that very night — right under everyone’s noses — burglars were making their next move.
Just 450 feet away on Hervey Lane — a distance a bit longer than a football field — two unidentified men smashed the window of yet another house as the watch party was wrapping up and neighbors were headed back to their homes. Residents who learned about the incident the next morning were shell-shocked, wondering how burglars could be so brazen in a neighborhood where people constantly walk their dogs or take a stroll.
“It’s crazy,” said Blackwell as she stood in her tan driveway, describing the scene that happened that night. “The neighborhood is on edge. We’re all on edge.”
Willow Glen, just a short drive down south from the city’s downtown, is known for being a quiet neighborhood with homes that regularly fetch up to more than $1.5 million. Blackwell said authorities she’s spoken to have been surprised by the incidents neighbors have been reporting recently.
The burglars who struck the residence on Hervey Lane entered the home at about 8:50 p.m. but were scared off when they heard someone approaching from upstairs. The couple who lives in the home did not want to comment or be identified due to privacy concerns, but confirmed they discovered a smashed window at the back of their house. Luckily nothing was stolen. They said a car idling in front of their home — a blue Infinity, according to neighbors — took off immediately. Police confirmed the burglary but have no suspects.
Around the neighborhood, residents described a frustrating series of incidents. Dan Lawless, who also lives on Padres Drive, said his car was stolen last week. Police retrieved it within 48 hours, but just a couple of days later, thieves tried to take the car again. This time, he had disabled the battery for that very reason.
As for the burglary during Tuesday night’s watch party?
“My goodness,” he said. “That’s a coincidence.”
Blackwell says she’s had her own series of escalating episodes in the neighborhood where she’s lived for more than a decade — eight incidents in the last six-and-a-half years. It started with her husband’s car being stolen in 2016, leading to the couple’s insurance rising by $9,000. Since then, she’s had individuals walk right up to her home, peek into the windows and try to open the doors on five separate occasions. Then, on April 17 of this year, Blackwell’s home was broken into while she wasn’t there. Video footage showed three unidentified men in her house for eight minutes — and Blackwell is still trying to figure out what all is missing from her home, but did confirm the burglars took a toolbox and a safe.
In a statement, Mayor Matt Mahan said that “far too many people in our community have reason to feel unsafe today, and we have to change that.” The incident comes as Mahan makes his case to hire more police officers in this coming year’s budget, which the council will finalize on Tuesday. Mahan plans to push millions of dollars to double the rate at which the department is hiring officers — 31 more in the coming years — arguing that more patrols inside neighborhoods could lead to safer outcomes.
Data show that police in San Jose have consistently been failing to reach their target response times — and that the trend is headed in the wrong direction. Critics of the mayor’s plan argue that the police have too wide an array of responsibilities and narrowing their focus could lead to better service without needing to inject more money into the department.
Reported crime data provided by the city shows no major spike in property crimes. Between 2012 and 2022, the number of incidents that include burglary, larceny theft and vehicle theft fluctuated between 25,000 to 28,000 reports per year. Certain violent crimes, like aggravated assault, have been on an upward trend since 2012.
Some Willow Glen neighbors said they would welcome more police. Blackwell said she thinks Tuesday’s incident speaks to something larger.
When the 60 or so people gathered at her home that night, she realized she didn’t know a majority of them, even though she’s lived in the neighborhood for 12 years. One of the best ways to deter crime, she thinks, is to have a closer-knit community, one that really watches out for one another and keeps a close eye on the streets.
“I think it says something about the state of our society,” said Blackwell about how burglars were able to break in during the watch party. “You’ve got to know your neighbors.”