Category: Monthly Newsletter

General Update: This past month, property crime has subsided to the lower levels that we have normally seen since instituting the constable patrol.  Unfortunately, that is not to say that there was no crime at all.  A home on the 1600 block of Missouri Street experienced a break on June 21st between 2:30 pm and 5:00 pm when perpetrators jumped fence from the alley, kicked in the back door, and stole several items from the home.

As always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  While no home can ever be completely “burglar proof” we encourage each of you to take advantage of the security audit opportunity provided to constable patrol subscribers.  In addition, one specific step you can take to make it harder to kick in your doors is is to replace the small screws in your door frame with long, screws (3-4 inches) that reach through the door trim all the way into the door frame and connecting studs.  This is an easy and cheap precaution.  All you need are long screws and a screw driver for an easy switch out.

Lastly, as we are right in the middle of our key fundraising time for Mandell and Winlow Place, we wanted to say a special “THANK YOU!” to those of you that have already renewed your constable patrol subscriptions for the upcoming year.  For current subscribers that have not resubscribed for next year, we want to encourage you to do so ASAP so that we can get next year’s contract signed and ensure that we retain the benefit of the constable patrol service well into the future.
Scam Alert: Be on the lookout for these common door-to-door scams, which are much more common than home burglaries:

• The Alarm Company Scam:  In this scam, a polite, official looking man spots your alarm company yard sign and claims he is there as a representative of the company.  He will claim that he 1) is there to upgrade you system, 2) needs to check the keypad, or 3) represents the manufacturer and that your provider has been sold and stopped service.  All of those things are false.  He is trying to trick you out of your current agreement and into a contract you never wanted through a false affiliation with your provider.  He will offer to waive some of the up-front fees and have an installer – who is finishing a job nearby – come right over.
• Free Water Testing Offers:  Be aware that such offers are almost always part of a sales promotion to sell you a water treatment device, whether you need it or not.  Because there is no charge for the “testing,” some consumers are willing to allow a company rep into their home to check for impurities, dangerous heavy metals, etc.  Fraudulent salesmen may claim that the government has recommended a particular company or treatment method.  Those claims are false.
• Magazine Subscriptions:  The most common front porch solicitations are peddled by young people sponsored by a “non-profit” and eager to tell you their hard-luck stories.  They say you can help them earn “points” by buying a subscription or two, and if you don’t need the magazines, you can have them sent to a charity of your choice.  In reality, they are for-profit efforts and the subscriptions are often overpriced…if they even arrive at all.

Security Tips: The constable patrol is most effective when we all take common sense steps to deter crime:

• Activate your security system at all times, and connect it directly to the Constable Dispatch (you must call your alarm company and have their responding agency listed as Harris County Constable Precinct One at 713-755-7628).
• Report crime and suspicious activity to the constable’s office at 713-755-7628. Make sure to mention that you are calling from a “contract neighborhood.” (For emergencies in progress, dial 911).
• Take down license plate numbers or take a cell phone photo of suspicious cars or people you notice around the neighborhood.
• Go to the website and sign-up for security alerts.
• Lock your garage and car.
• Do not leave items in car.
• Never disclose Constable Patrol hours of operation via online social networks (like Facebook or Nextdoor). We are disadvantaged if potential criminals are aware of our vulnerabilities.

In addition, the Constable offers other security services that we encourage you to take advantage of:

• Vacation watch – Go to http://pct1constable.net/sign-up/vacation-watch/ to sign up you home for vacation watch if you are going out of town. The constables will stop by your house every day to make sure that all is well while you are away.
• Crime Alerts – You can receive immediate crime alerts directly from the Constable’s office by signing up at http://pct1constable.net/sign-up/crime-alerts/.
• Security Audit – Please email Deputy Mathews-Segura at Mathews-Segura@cn1.hctx.net to schedule a security audit. Deputy Mathews-Segura will come to your home and let you know how you can be more secure

For complete list of the constables services and information visithttp://pct1constable.net/.

General Update: Unfortunately, as predicted, we have seen an uptick in property crime coinciding with the end of the school year.  This has meant slightly more home and vehicle burglaries this month than last despite the presence of the constables patrol.  However, it appears that most of the homes that were affected were not patrol subscribers, which indicates that the subscription and signs do have some effect of reducing your home as a target.

Both the constable and the security foundation attempt to push out crime alerts as soon as we are made aware of any serious property crime.  As always, the best tactics to avoid being a victim are tried and true commonsense methods: lock your doors, make sure your security systems are functioning and armed, make the Constable the primary contact of your security system, don’t leave anything in your car, and be aware of your surroundings.

Lastly, in addition to the more run-of-the-mill property crime we experience from time to time, our neighborhoods also experienced a much more rare series of armed robberies last month.  The robberies, which took place on May 17th, started with a woman approaching a pedestrian and requesting help because she has been abused by her boyfriend and robbed. During the conversation, a man approached the victim with a shotgun and demanded the person’s belongings. No similar crimes of this nature have occurred in our neighborhoods since the night of the 17th, and HPD and Precinct 1 continue to work on the cases.
 

A Message from Constable Rosen: Vacation Watch

“This is a perfect time of year for me to remind you about our year-round vacation watch program. It’s one of the services that residents are entitled to when they help pay for a neighborhood patrol contract.

To sign up for a vacation watch, please provide us with information by going here online at least two weeks before you will leave town:http://pct1constable.net/sign-up/vacation- watch/.  Your information is relayed to our patrol division, which then alerts the contract deputies who patrol your neighborhood. I ask the deputies to get out of their patrol cars and walk the perimeter of your dwelling two times during each of their eight-hour shifts to make sure nothing is amiss while you are up the road, up in a plane or down on a beach.

Of course if a deputy spots something suspicious during a vacation watch, he or she can, among other things, reach you or the emergency contact person whose name and number you provided to us when you filled out the form.

We do ask that you give us a finite date for your return because we cannot continue to make these security checks on an open-ended basis. Nor can we enter your home to check on it from the inside.  If you have an alarm system and/or lighting on a timer, please make sure they are in active mode while you are gone. Parking a vehicle in your driveway can sometimes help deter a potential burglar, too.

Thanks for helping us help you – and be safe!”

 

Security Tips: The constable patrol is most effective when we all take common sense steps to deter crime:

• Activate your security system at all times, and connect it directly to the Constable Dispatch (you must call your alarm company and have their responding agency listed as Harris County Constable Precinct One at 713-755-7628).
• Report crime and suspicious activity to the constable’s office at 713-755-7628. Make sure to mention that you are calling from a “contract neighborhood.” (For emergencies in progress, dial 911).
• Take down license plate numbers or take a cell phone photo of suspicious cars or people.
• Go to the website and sign-up for security alerts.
• Lock your garage and car.
• Do not leave items in car.
• Never disclose Constable Patrol hours of operation via online social networks (like Facebook or Nextdoor). We are disadvantaged if potential criminals are aware of our vulnerabilities.

In addition, the Constable offers other security services that we encourage you to take advantage of:

• Vacation watch – Go to http://pct1constable.net/sign-up/vacation-watch/ to sign up you home for vacation watch if you are going out of town. The constables will stop by your house every day to make sure that all is well while you are away.
• Crime Alerts – You can receive immediate crime alerts directly from the Constable’s office by signing up at http://pct1constable.net/sign-up/crime-alerts/.
• Security Audit Deputy – Please email Deputy Mathews-Segura at Mathews-Segura@cn1.hctx.net to schedule a security audit. Deputy Mathews-Segura will come to your home and let you know how you can be more secure

For complete list of the constables services and information visithttp://pct1constable.net/.

 

Subscription Notes: Mandell Place and Winlow Place are currently in the midst of their annual fundraising drive, with the goal of being fully funded for next year’s contract by August of this year.  We are trying to increase our patrol hours for next year to accive true 24/7 coverage.  In order to do so, we need to engage a few more subscribers per neighborhood, so please talk to your friends and neighbors and ask them to join!  Remember, our member households pay a pro rata portion of the cost of the contract, so the cost to each household is lower the more households participate. It is, therefore, a win-win the more households that join. If everyone who joined last year renews at the same funding level and just a few other homes join, we should be able to increase our patrol hours.  Online payments preferred by credit card or PayPal at www.mwpatrol.org/payment.  Please join or renew today!

General Update: In the recent weeks we have seen a slight uptick in property crime in our patrolled neighborhoods.  Unfortunately, in several of these instances, the victims have not been subscribers of the constable patrol and the constable has learned of the occurrence of the crime only after the fact (and after a multi-hour wait for HPD to respond).  While you should call HPD when you encounter a crime in progress or there is a threat to life or limb, please always report crimes and suspicious activity to the constable as well at 713-755-7628.  The constable has a much faster response time to investigate thefts and burglaries, and the closer in time you can make a report, the better chance there is of stopping the criminals.

The most notable events this month were a burglary on 1900 Harrold where the suspects seemingly waited for residents to leave the home, and then proceeded to kick in both the front and back doors around 9:00pm. The other notable event is a 2011 Jeep Cherokee was stolen on 1600 Missouri.  This is likely part of a rash of about a dozen car thefts in the Midtown and Montrose area.  The thieves appear to be targeting jeep and Toyota models specifically.  Pictures of the suspected car thieves have been released by the constable’s office.

The constable is working diligently to patrol our neighborhood and continues to have a very beneficial effect on public safety.  While we have seen a small increase in property crime this month, we still see much less crime overall than our non-patrolled neighbors.  The constable continues to deter all sorts of crime, from property and violent crime to speeders that can endanger us as we walk around our neighborhood, such as this person recently ticketed by the constable for speeding through Harold street:

As always, the best way to keep yourself safe is with common sense!

 

Message from Constable Rosen:  With summer break from school around the corner, dynamic neighborhoods like those in our Cherryhurst-Mandell-Winlow patrol contract area must be extra vigilant about children and portable personal property. In that order!

Children come first as our most precious concern. Even with electronic games and other cutting edge products that fascinate kids, summer still beckons them to the outdoors during what are typical work days for many of the rest of us. The heightened awareness you use when driving in or near school zones must now be applied again to your own sidewalks, streets and neighborhood parks. Look out for youngsters running, skateboarding, peddling bikes, chasing soccer balls – perhaps a bit carelessly. Keeping our next generation safe as possible requires these small seasonal adjustments in our own behavior.

When it comes to crime in your neighborhood, the good and bad news is that property theft remains the biggest challenge.

Thanks to you, our staff and other public agencies, assaults, robberies and other forms of violence are at very low levels in your area. Other neighborhoods are not as fortunate. But any urban neighborhood has its share of burglaries and thefts. Often these can be thwarted by taking common sense precautions.

Simple as it sounds, keeping your home and vehicle locked, with portable valuables such as laptop computers and purses and wallets out of sight, are steps not everyone follows. We know that because we get the occasional reports of items being stolen from unlocked cars, unsecured garages and unoccupied homes with open or unlocked windows.

Many of you have taken extra steps by installing alarm systems, lockable gates and security cameras. But some busy folks forget to use them. Please remember to always activate your residential alarm system when you leave your home unattended. Likewise, park your vehicle in a well-lit driveway when possible, and lock your gates if you have them.

Keep this in mind: Burglary is almost always a “crime of opportunity.” Just a little bit of deterrence forces a thief to move to a more convenient target – one that we hope is well beyond your neighborhood.

 

Security Tips: The Constable has seen the “flat tire” scam popping up in and around our neighborhoods.  Beware of vehicles trying to stop you to alert you to mechanical problems with your vehicle.  They may try to tell your tire if going flat, or your tire appears to be falling off and try to get you to pull over to “help” you.  They will try to show you the problem and offer to fix it for your safety.  They work alone or usually in pairs so one person distracts you by talking to you while to other one appears to “fix” your vehicle.  The problem is non- existent and after they have “helped” you, they want you to drive to an ATM to pull out cash for their services.  Some have scammed drivers for $500-600 for nothing.   The scammers usually try to get you to pull over in a shopping/strip center where they know an ATM is close by so you can walk to or drive a across the parking lot while they wait or follow you to be paid for their service.  Please be aware there are people out there waiting to take advantage of you.

 

 

General Update: The constable’s program continues to be a great boon to Mandell Place, Winlow Place and Cherryhurst.  The past month saw only a single home burglary (on 1800 Kipling) and a single car burglary (on 2600 Windsor) in our patrolled neighborhoods.

The car break-in was a vehicle parked in the street with a bag containing computer equipment visible in the left rear seat.  The thieves broke the rear window to get the bag.  It is important to remember that a car is not a secure location for valuables!  At a minimum, valuables should be left out of sight and in the trunk, but the best practice is to not leave any valuables in your car at all.  The forced entry on Kipling was reported to HPD, but not the constable.  Personal items were stolen from the home, including clothing and jewelry. HPD has no suspects but is checking surveillance video from neighbors.

These two incidents, while unfortunate, are a far cry from the number of break-ins that our neighborhoods experienced before the constable’s patrol was instituted.  In addition, this month the Constable deployed additional deputies, undercover officers and unmarked cars in an effort to deter crime around Cherryhurst Park, resulting in several successful arrests.  Please remember the great strides we have made in reducing property crime as fundraising for next year’s contract starts in May.

 

A Message from Constable Rosen: “Thefts May Spring up in Spring”

“The warmer weather encourages wildflowers to bloom, bicycle owners to pedal down the street, property owners to spruce up their landscapes, and fixer-uppers to work outdoors. While we of course encourage everyone to enjoy the fresh air in their own ways, we also remind you to use your season-sensitive common sense to prevent your belongings from being stolen. While you “take time to smell the flowers,” please also remember to secure bikes, yard tools, skateboards, outdoor furniture, construction materials and other belongings when not in use; to lock garages, sheds and gates. Because unfortunately, the nice weather makes it easier for thieves to move around outdoors, too. And when you are out and about, please report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. Be safe!”

 

Security Tips: The constable patrol is most effective when we all take common sense steps to deter crime:

• Activate your security system at all times, and connect it directly to the Constable Dispatch (you must call your alarm company and have their responding agency listed as Harris County Constable Precinct One at 713-755-7628).
• Report crime and suspicious activity to the constable’s office at 713-755-7628. Make sure to mention that you are calling from a “contract neighborhood.” (For emergencies in progress, dial 911).
• Go to the website and sign-up for security alerts.
• Lock your garage and car.
• Do not leave items in car.
• Never disclose Constable Patrol hours of operation via online social networks (like Facebook or Nextdoor). We are disadvantaged if potential criminals are aware of our vulnerabilities.

 

 

Board of Directors:
Mike Hawash – Chair
Jake Mase & Al Amado – Mandell Place
Benjamin Garry & Mark Schultz – Winlow Place
Bruce Holzband & Thushara Corea – Cherryhurst

General Update: Significant property crime continues to remain low in our patrolled neighborhoods. The only significant incidents to report for the month of February were 1) a break-in on the 1800 block of Marshall Street where criminals had broken in through a back glass door and stole electronics and cash before exiting through the front door, and 2) a motor vehicle break-in at Cherryhurst Street and Ridgewood Street. Hopefully, unfortunate incidents like this remain isolated and rare occurrences now that the patrol is in place. Complete statistics for the month are attached with sensitive security information removed.

Starting this month, we are also excited to announce that we will begin sharing deputies with Vermont Commons and Park Commons, who have recently begun their own constable’s patrol program. This essentially doubles the days we have active constables coverage. More importantly, a deputy should be just a few minutes away during all the high crime times. By coordinating with other neighborhoods who are instituting their own constables patrols we can increase our effective coverage without increasing the cost of our constables program, it is a great win-win.

Finally, we are aware of the increase in crime and suspicious incidents in the neighborhood surrounding Cherryhurst park in March. The Security Foundation Board has been in close contact with the Constable regarding this problem, and the Constable is developing new strategy and tactics to counter such incidents. We should have more to report in our next newsletter when the statistics for March become available.
Security Tips: The constable patrol is most effective when we all take common sense steps to deter crime:

• Activate your security system at all times, and connect it directly to the Constable Dispatch (you must call your alarm company and have their responding agency listed as Harris County Constable Precinct One at713-755-7628).
• Report crime and suspicious activity to the constable’s office at 713-755-7628. Make sure to mention that you are calling from a “contract neighborhood.” (For emergencies in progress, dial 911).
• Go to the website and sign-up for security alerts.
• Lock your garage and car.
• Do not leave items in car.
• Never disclose Constable Patrol hours of operation via online social networks (like Facebook or Nextdoor). We are disadvantaged if potential criminals are aware of our vulnerabilities.

In addition, the Constable offers other security services that we encourage you to take advantage of:

• Vacation watch – Go to http://pct1constable.net/sign-up/vacation-watch/ to sign up you home for vacation watch if you are going out of town. The constables will stop by your house every day to make sure that all is well while you are away.
• Crime Alerts – You can receive immediate crime alerts directly from the Constable’s office by signing up athttp://pct1constable.net/sign-up/crime-alerts/.
• Security Audit Deputy – Please email Deputy Mathews-Segura at Tracie.Mathews-Segura@cn1.hctx.netto schedule a security audit. Deputy Mathews-Segura will come to your home and let you know how you can be more secure

For complete list of the constables services and information visithttp://pct1constable.net/.

Lastly, HPD has distributed burglary and security tips for the Rodeo, but these are generally aplicable to our neighborhood as well:

• Prior to leaving for your trip remove any extra items from your vehicle, laptops, book bags, even weapons. Leave these things at home. Make it appear your vehicle is empty, especially if you plan to park at remote parking facilities (bus or train lots). A vehicle is a method of transportation NOT A SECURE LOCATION for your valuables.
• Always carry your driver’s license or identification card along with a limited amount of credit cards/debit cards. Avoid carrying extra credit cards and avoid carrying large amounts of cash.
• Women should consider wearing a small purse across their body to keep their hands free, especially if you have small children.
• If you plan on attending with children and you become separated, teach them to know they can ask a police officer if they need help.
• Park as close to your destination as possible and pay close attention to where you parked in the lot.
• Stay alert while you are walking to your car. Talking or texting on your phone or digging in your purse for your keys while walking is a distraction and you could be an easy target.
• Be just as vigilant about your surroundings during the daylight hours. A crime can occur at any time.