Burglaries target Stanford Research Park, surrounding area

According to a press release from the City of Palo Alto, Palo Alto Police apprehended a man in the process of burglarizing a construction site in Stanford Research Park on Jan. 11. Eleven burglaries struck the site over the course of the past two months, incurring losses of at least $11,000 in stolen copper and tools.

Palo Alto Online reports that the University plans to add surveillance equipment and an additional security guard to deter future robbers. None of the burglars were armed.

The construction site, on which the University is building 180 units of faculty housing, spans the 1400-1600 blocks of California Avenue. Though met with protests—local residents expressed concern about increased traffic and pedestrian hazards—the housing project was unanimously approved by the Palo Alto City Council in June 2014 and is slated for completion in 2018.

A mile away from the construction at Stanford Research Park, two robbers, at least one of them armed, stole three video game consoles from Fry’s Electronics on Jan. 28. One of the two suspects was arrested on Feb. 4. The other remains at large.

Contact Akshay Agrawal at akshayka ‘at’ stanford.edu.