by Sergio L. Guadarrama, Neighborhood Patrol Officer
Well it looks like we survived the holidays. Thank goodness! I just wanted to express my gratitude for the warm welcome that I have received from everyone. The past month and a half I have been greeted with open arms and everyone that I have come into contact with have been nothing but gracious and kind. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect as I transitioned from patrol to NPO but everyone has made this transition easier than expected and I’ll be forever grateful. Thank you again.

As I wrote in the last newsletter, I worked patrol in the Fairmount/Ryan Place/South Hemphill Heights area from 2001-2003, and again from 2007-2010, and the brunt of the problems have always been burglaries and thefts.

The past month and a half I have seen the reported burglaries and thefts and they are a concern. I have been a victim of burglary and theft and it is unsettling to say the least. They have tapered off the last couple of weeks but in my opinion one burglary/theft is one too many. I have been meeting with residents who have been victims of these crimes and I’ve also been meeting with residents who have emailed me to meet with them for advice on how to secure their house. I don’t mind doing this at all and in fact I’m very happy to do it. Feeling secure when you’re in your home and when you’re away is what we all want and it’s what I along with the beat officers strive to maintain. We should all feel secure in our homes without worry of someone breaking into our houses or vehicles but the reality of it is there is always going to be someone who feels they can commit these crimes and get away with it.

It’s the goal of beat officers and myself to impress upon them that it is not okay to come into these neighborhoods and have free reign. COP patrols have stepped up along with extra patrols by beat officers and myself. These extra patrols may or may not be why we have seen burglaries taper off but we are all doing our best to deter crime of any sort. One thing that impresses me about Fairmount/Ryan Place/South Hemphill Heights is the communication between neighbors and how everyone looks out for each other. As residents of these neighborhoods it’s important for everyone to watch out for their neighbors and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.

I’ve caught many burglars in my 14-plus years and a great deal of the apprehensions were due to residents calling in on suspicious activity or calling in on a burglary/theft in progress. Some of the apprehensions were from officers being in the right place at the right time. In other words it was luck. I just want everyone reading this to understand that your help is needed when it comes to catching these thieves and burglars. From what I’ve seen residents have done a great job calling in suspicious activity and I hope that continues. I also don’t want anyone to feel like your wasting our time when you call us out to investigate suspicious activity. That’s what we’re here for. That’s what is going to help us catch somebody up to no good. Keep up with watchful eyes and calling us out when you need us.

As I wrote earlier I have been going to some residences to offer some advice or tips and here is some of what I’ve been telling people:

• If you don’t have an alarm on your house then get one.
• Get an alarm that makes loud noise inside and outside so it can also get the attention of neighbors. Burglars hate loud noise.
• Put cameras inside or outside your house or both. Detectives can look at still frames and get good descriptions of burglars.
• Write down serial numbers on all your electronics, game systems, laptops, IPads, guns, etc. You have a good chance of getting your belongings back.
• Take all your belongings out of your vehicles. Don’t make it easy for burglars to take your stuff by leaving expensive goods in your vehicle.
• Lock your doors!
• Light up the outside of your house with floodlights in front and in back. Make sure they have motion detectors.
• Make sure if you have dogs that your doggie door (if you have one) isn’t big enough for a small person to climb through.
• Call some security companies and inquire about how to reinforce your front and back doors and possibly your windows.
• When you’re not home it may be a good idea to close your curtains or blinds so burglars can’t get an inventory of your belongings by just looking in your windows.

These are just a few helpful tips. They arenot guaranteed to stop someone from breaking into a house or car but they may work as a deterrant. As always if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me. I’ll see you all in the neighborhood.