Residents of some off-campus apartments in Westwood have
reported seeing a peeper looking inside their windows over the past
few weeks ““ incidents which are similar to at least five
prowler and peeper cases that were reported over the summer.
No perpetrators were ever identified or caught.
UCPD Assistant Chief of Police Jeff Young confirmed separate
incidents were reported in apartments on Roebling and Landfair
avenues within the past several weeks, but does not have
information that links the recent incidents with the previous
occurrences. Detectives are investigating any possible connections
between the recent incidents and the ones reported earlier in the
year, he said.
One apartment resident, who did not wish to be named for safety
reasons, said she called the police last Tuesday evening after
seeing a face peering through her bathroom window when she was
getting out of the shower.
She said she hit the window after she noticed the peeper, and
then he fled. She called the police afterward.
“The police did a really good job. … They handled it
well, and I felt safe,” she said, adding that two officers
came to her apartment, and while one looked around the area, the
other questioned her.
She said she believes the suspect, whom she described as male,
is a resident of her building, and said one of her male roommates
also previously saw a face in the window while taking a bath.
“I don’t feel safe in my own apartment,” she
said. “The scary thing is I caught him once. … I
don’t know how many other times it has happened,” she
said.
But Young said these incidents are rare. He did not indicate
whether there were any proactive plans by university police to
curtail further incidents.
“Off-campus housing nearby is safe,” Young said,
noting crime is generally low, and the area is busy and
well-populated.
Another female student, who also did not wish to be named for
safety reasons, reported that she and her roommates have seen
somebody watching them on four separate occasions over the last
year. Other residents in the same building have complained of
similar problems.
During the most recent encounter, the student said she was alone
in her bedroom when she noticed a shadow outside her window. She
added that her roommates have seen a figure looking into their
window while they were in the bathroom, but she could not confirm
whether it was the same person each time.
She said after contacting police, she was told to put up sheets
and newspapers over the windows.
But Young said the police do not normally recommend covering up
windows because then residents cannot see outside.
He instead encourages apartment residents to keep blinds and
curtains drawn and to keep a light on to show the apartment is
occupied.
The student said that because of the incidents, she now checks
“every nook and corner” of her apartment and refuses to
be alone in her apartment.
“It’s such a violating feeling. We definitely want
to do something about it. … I’m scared to be alone,”
she said.
Young said UCPD offers services to UCLA students, including
inspecting apartments for security vulnerabilities and offering
advice for improvements in order to encourage students to help
protect themselves.
The student said her property manager installed lights outside
her apartment balcony in response to the incidents, but she hopes
access to the balcony, which is a route to her apartment window,
will also be shut off.
Young also suggested that students program UCPD’s phone
number into their cell phones, immediately call police if they
notice suspicious activity and try to provide a description,
including the suspect’s appearance, clothing and the
direction he or she runs.