Word comes down through the newsgroups (and forwarded to us by Science Correspondant Bill Westphal) about a significant increase in burglaries in town:

Be more alert to suspicious persons or activities. If you witness suspicious activities, record as much information as possible like the incident below. Include vehicle license numbers if possible. Contact the Altadena Sheriff’s Station on 626-798-1131 and let them know.

"The incident below" is this one, reported by Cmdr. Linsenmayer (ret.):

Today at about 2:50pm I was finishing up the front yard work when I saw a
Dark Charcoal, Newer Model, Mid-Sized Compact car parked facing Westbound on
Glenn Canyon at Pepper drive, right at Martin’s driveway. The driver was a
White Male with Black Hair. The front passengers door was open and a second
Male White, also with Black hair, ran up to the car carrying a tan cardboard
box in both hands. He was running West, on the North side of Glenn Canyon,
but I did not see from exactly where he came from. The box was a UPS style
shipping box, about 18-to 24 inches square. Once he got into the car they
speed away, west bound on Glenn Canyon.

I called the Sheriff and reported this to them. The Deputy said that they
would be aware of the incident in case someone calls in a theft over the
next few days.

Since almost everyone we know is getting shipments of presents right now, a little extra vigilance and neighborly concern is in order!

12/16 addendum: Commander Linsenmayer tells Altadenablog that the neighbor was identified — the guys ran off with the box about 20 minutes after it was delivered.  He also tells us it was full of — Christmas doggie treats!