by Sergio L. Guadarrama, Neighborhood Patrol Officer

Hello, Fairmount! This is your fearless NPO corresponding from the Bat Cave underneath the Hemphill sector.

It is that time of year again. This is the Silly Season which I’ve called it for years and I wrote about this in some detail in last year’s holiday newsletter. I highlighted some heart-wrenching experiences coupled with stories that give hope to humanity proving that the holidays do bring out the best in most people.

When I say most people I’m obviously leaving out those who take advantage of the holiday season by committing crimes of opportunity. These crimes include theft and burglary of vehicles and habitations.

Recently Fairmount has experienced an increase in thefts and vehicle burglaries. Home burglaries have been up and down, but mainly down and that is a good thing. Thefts and package thefts remain an issue and I’ve been communicating with my fellow teammates and residents of the neighborhoods to come up with ways to curb this frustrating trend. Here are some tips for the holiday season:
If your employer will allow it, have packages delivered to your workplace. If not, have packages delivered to a place where they can be received in person, such as the home of a trusted neighbor who stays home during the day, or a retired relative.

Request the shipper require a signature confirmation or hold your package at a pick-up facility so you can pick it up in person at your convenience.

If purchasing from a large retailer, request that your package be delivered to a local branch of the store.
Request a specific delivery date and time from the shipper when you know you will be available.

If these tips don’t work for you, a gracious offer has extended by my friends at Kent & Co. on Magnolia. They have offered for you to have your packages delivered to their building and they will keep it for you to pick up at your convenience during their business hours. I highly recommend that you take advantage of this if possible.

As far as vehicle burglaries I’m going to offer this suggestion—you can take my advice or not. The vast majority of vehicle burglaries in the past few months have involved vehicles that have been unlocked or the window(s) have been down making them easy targets. These vehicles have been gone through and some inexpensive items have been taken.

My suggestion is this—please lock your cars. There hasn’t been a rash of burglaries involving broken windows to gain entry. The fact that the vast majority of vehicle burglaries don’t involve forced entry tells us that someone is going around and looking for unlocked cars or cars with windows rolled down.

Most of the vehicles where there was forced entry were in business parking lots. This is just a suggestion, and if you really want to keep your vehicles unlocked or unsecured then by all means continue. I have to say that I don’t condone leaving your vehicles unlocked, and I understand not wanting to pay $300 to replace a broken window—do what you want to do.

I’ve been your NPO for almost two years now. I can’t tell you all how happy I am to be here helping in any way I can. This job has allowed me to make some great friendships in the neighborhoods which is part of what community policing is all about.

I’m glad that many of you see that there is a person behind this badge, this uniform, this ballistic vest, this gun belt and my police car. I’ve been able to share some of my life and experiences with you and some of you have felt comfortable to share your life and experiences with me. It really is a good feeling to have that bond and that many see me not just as a neighborhood police officer, but as a friend as well.

I’m grateful beyond words and I look forward to the coming year—it’s going to be an eventful one for me with work opportunities and some planned travel.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. I’ll be seeing you around. That is all. Carry on…

Sergio L Guadarrama
Neighborhood Police Officer C31