4 Men Held in Spate of School Burglaries

Four men were arrested Friday on suspicion of stealing computers and other equipment worth tens of thousands of dollars from as many as 50 schools in the San Fernando Valley during the last few months, Los Angeles school police said.

Los Angeles Unified School District police officers arrested Marvin Earl Kinney Jr., 20, of Winnetka, Robert Harris, 20, of Woodland Hills, and a man without identification also believed to be 20 years old about 8:15 a.m. at the Aku Aku Motor Inn on Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills. A short time later, Harold Shields, 19, was arrested at his family’s home in the 22000 block of Del Valle Street in Woodland Hills.

The men were booked on suspicion of burglary and receiving stolen property. They were being held late Friday at the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Valley Division jail.

“This is a very good day for us,” said Los Angeles Unified Det. Steve Crowell. He said a tip received two weeks ago led investigators to the suspects.

Wads of cash, hand-held computers, cell phones, stereos and personal computers--some marked with school names--were recovered in the motel. Tools such as hammers and screw drivers, which police believe were used to force entry into the campuses, were also found.

“This is mine,” said Officer Jackie Maddox picking up a laptop computer etched with markings from Taft High School, where she usually works. “I’m so glad to see this stuff.”

Police said the suspects are linked to 74 break-ins in the southwest Valley during the last five months. School police officials said there are usually 12 to 15 break-ins a month throughout the 230 district schools in the Valley.

“They’re very brazen,” Crowell said of the suspects. “Sometimes they’ll hit one to three schools a night, or the same school three to four times a week.”

School administrators said the break-ins have caused damage to door frames, cabinets, documents and safes.

The cleanup has disrupted work, and stolen equipment is unlikely to be replaced because of tight school budgets.

One burglary occurred at Calabash Street Elementary School in Woodland Hills, which does not have a burglar alarm, so no one was immediately alerted when the cafeteria was broken into three weeks ago.

“This is terrible,” said Principal Susan Shaffer. “It’s going to cost the district a lot for repairs.”

Taft High was burglarized in April and again in January. Both times, the administration building and cafeteria were ransacked. The school is scheduled to have alarms installed in three years.

“It’s very frustrating,” said Principal Myra Fullerton. “You feel violated.”

Police said the burglarized schools include Wilbur Avenue, Hamlin Street, Lanai Road and Fullbright Avenue elementary schools and the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies.

Though school break-ins are common, the recent spate has increased anxiety among principals.

“We’re defenseless,” said Wilbur Avenue Principal David Hirsch. “We’re not fortresses, we’re elementary schools.”

Other principals say that school fences can be easily scaled and alarm systems are difficult to purchase through the district.

“We don’t have full coverage [with alarms at all schools],” said Michael O’Larte, an electronic technical supervisor for the district. “The next step is there needs to be enough school police.”

The 280-member school police force has not grown during the last decade, despite the addition of 90,000 students to the school system, authorities said.

“There’s not too many people,” said Sgt. Michael Bowman, “to watch the schools at 3 in the morning.”