Willow Glen residents considering private security patrols

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A strange crime spree is prompting residents in a quiet San Jose neighborhood to wonder if they need to pay for private security.

Willow Glen is an idyllic, upscale neighborhood with manicured lawns where serious crime is almost unheard of.

But recently, something disturbing has been happening.

"We've had some break-ins; we've had people entering people's homes and when they're coming out of the shower and alarming them," Willow Glen resident Margee Frost said.

Neighbors say they're a bit more careful now. They close their windows and lock their doors when they leave.

But the safety concerns of neighbors here didn't start with the break-ins, it began with peaches -- a barrage of them raining down on homes late at night.

"It woke me up; it was hitting our wall and hitting our windows," resident Connie Russo said.

It was like a Hitchcock movie.

"The peaches coming over the trees and landing on various roof tops," resident Karen Llewellyn said.

The police were called.

"But the police never showed up. It was very low priority for them," Llewellyn said.

Some residents think someone is using some kind of launcher to shoot peaches at homes. Why, no one knows.

But the peaches have galvanized some of the neighbors, who now want to hire private security patrols, especially since they've discovered that there have break-ins as well. They've been told it would cost each resident less than $20 a month for the service.

"That would be just a little more secure to have to be able to call in somebody when the police can't really get here," Llewellyn said.

There is opposition from those who have burglar alarms.

It's just one more expense; I pay for the alarm system, why would I pay for more," Russo said.

Neighbors will gather at the Kirk Park Community Center next week to discuss peaches and security.

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crime, san jose, willow glen, south bay news, vic lee

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