Glendale police issue warning about burglars using WiFi signal jammers to disable alarms, security cameras

GLENDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- Glendale police have issued a warning about residential burglars who use WIFI jammers to disable security alarms and surveillance cameras.

As described by police Sgt. Victor Jackson, the devices used by thieves block the signal or scramble the WiFi. "So if you have a Ring camera, a Nest camera -- any kind of alarm system that is WiFi-based or a camera that's WiFi-based -- it blocks the signal and knocks it out," he said.

A disproportionate surge in residential burglaries plagued Glendale and Southern California in the fall, leading investigators to the crime trend.

"As our detectives started going into these cases, that's when they realized what was happening," Jackson said. "In some cases, because of the way the device works, it made it look like when you went back and rewound your tape and looked, it wasn't a black screen -- it was seamless. It didn't exist there, so there was no evidence."

Police recommend that residents increase security by:

• hardwiring alarm systems and cameras,
• using back-up batteries in those security devices,
• installing sturdy locks on security gates,
• enhancing exterior lighting,
• securing windows and balconies,
• and having a trusted neighbor or housesitter look after your home, when away.

The Glendale Police Department's residential burglary task force has been working to lower the number of break-ins, officials said.

"Our patrol officers, our motor officers, our special enforcement detail, and detectives -- we have them undercover in the area -- and we saturated the area," Jackson said.

Nora Alabi, a Glendale resident, told ABC7: "I feel like there's no part of the city that you can be in and not run into a cop or not run into a police car.

"If I stand here for five minutes, I might see like three cop cars drive by," she said. "So, because of that, I feel like it's a safe city."