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.