The big problem in northeast LA right now is that people keep leaving their car doors unlocked at night and stuff is getting stolen. LAPD's solution? 7-minute DIY zombie movie. Perfect.


This baby has everything you want. Special effects like glass smashing, unaware but soon to be concerned citizens, and, of course, zombies. The undead are on a rampage stealing iPads, laptops and other valuables out of people's cars. But LAPD pulls up on the scene ("Awesome!!") and beats the zombies back. The buddy cop moments and doughnut jokes go on. And on.

A little before the 5-minute mark, Captain Jeffrey Bert comes on to provide some real talk. He says that "21,000 vehicles have been burglarized in the city of Los Angeles," and:

If you just lock your car you reduce your chances by about 30 percent of having people break into your car. And then if you hide your valuables, your purses, your iPods, your cellphones, any loose change, if you're a pirate your bag of jewels, anything you can do, tuck that stuff away, you're gonna reduce your chances of being a victim.


Pirates hiding jewels from zombies, take note. The Northeast Division of LAPD covers neighborhoods like Silver Lake, Highland Park, Eagle Rock and Mount Washington. The LA Times reports that one of Captain Bert's officers moonlights as a professional makeup artist, and another is a screenwriter. You can see how the gears might have started turning on this project. And it's a good thing they did because this video is gold. [LA Times via the Mirror]