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-
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!