Fairmount Beat – April 2014

by Sergio L. Guadarrama, Neighborhood Patrol Officer
Greetings my fellow Ryan Place/Fairmount Residents!! This is your friendly NPO speaking. I know that I don’t have to remind you that the silly season is coming. It seems that in some aspects that silly season has already arrived. As I’m writing this I know that many residents are still reeling from the senseless arson incidents that occurred in Ryan Place a few days ago. These crimes of utter stupidity angered me and I know that they angered you as well. As of now the suspects haven’t been caught but we do know what types of vehicles they were driving thanks to video surveillance from a few different houses.

The arson investigators are working tirelessly to come up with leads and are getting tips everyday from concerned citizens. I’m confident that the thugs who did this will be caught eventually. It was asked of me how incidents like this can be prevented. I wish that I could come up with an answer that would put everyone’s mind at ease. I cannot sugarcoat an answer and I’m not going to guarantee that something like this will never happen again. These incidents occurred early in the morning and they were completely random. The only way we as a police department could guarantee that something like this doesn’t happen again is to put a police car on every other block in the neighborhood. We don’t have the manpower to do that. I will say that the beat officers are just as outraged and have stepped up patrols in the area. All we can do is be a visual deterrent at this point and that’s what we plan to do.

The silly season (as I like to call it) is when the temperature raises above 80 degrees for long periods of time and it effects people’s judgment and behavior. The silly season is right around the corner. Actually, it’s more like to doors down on the right. From my experience crime does go up when it gets warmer. I don’t know if there has been a scientific study done when it comes to weather and crime but one only has to look at the statistics. It is a real phenomenon that I can’t fully explain but I know that when the silly season comes around I’m reminded daily as to why I became an officer in the first place. The city becomes a target rich environment and that’s where we (police officers) come in. It’s also a time for everyone to also be on the look out for suspicious activity. I’ve said before that when officers have caught bad guys it’s because of one of two things. Either the officer was in the right place at the right time or a concerned citizen called in suspicious activity or a crime in progress. I know that everyone in the neighborhood is concerned with crime and obviously I am too so this calls for everyone to step up their game. That goes for us as police officers too. The only thing about the silly season is that call load also goes up which take away preventative patrol for the beat officers. That’s where yours truly comes in. When the silly season does get here I will be working into the night on most of my shifts. What we need from you is to keep doing what you’re doing and call in suspicious activity. Remember what I’ve told you about “painting a picture” for the call taker. What kind of suspicious activity are you observing? Does it look as if someone is casing a neighborhood? Does their clothing not match the weather? Are you seeing the same vehicle go around the neighborhood as if the passengers are casing it? Paint that picture. Give the call taker as many details as you can. Tell them what direction they are headed. Give clothing descriptions from head to toe if possible. We all have a part to play when it comes to deterring crime.

I will do my best to do whatever I can do but I need you all to be our extra eyes and ears. We also need to watch those alleys. Those alleys are favorite entry and escape routes for the bad guys. Let’s do our best keep those alleys clear of brush and trash so emergency vehicles can go through there if needs be. There has been discussion of putting lights both ends of the alleys to light them up. I will look further into that to see if this is doable. Together we can fight crime and have many successes in the end. As always please feel free to contact me with concerns. The best way is through email at sergio.guadarrama@fortworthtexas.gov and my city cell is 817-944-1316.

Be safe out there. Keep your eyes and ears open.