Greetings, Welcome to the September issue of the Westover Division Response Area 3 monthly community letter. In this issue you will find crime reviews for the month of August 2009 as well as some information from Captain Patterson. Please share this document with other members in your community. Public awareness of crime and crime patterns is vital to assist in developing lines of communication between citizens and police, as well as forming working relationships between citizens and police. If you or someone you know would like to be added to the distribution list for this document please contact me at Westover Division office at 704-432-2442. This newsletter is available in Spanish. If you are receiving this newsletter for the first time, I’d like to introduce myself to you. I’ve been the Response Area 3 Commander since November 2008. I’ve been with CMPD for 15 years and graduated with the 116 Recruit Class in January 1995. My first assignment was in the Central Division, and I’ve had assignments in the Highway Interdiction and Traffic Safety Unit, Armed Robbery Unit, Metro Division, and Internal Affairs. I’m originally from Santa Maria, CA and a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California. I’ve lived in Charlotte since 1994. I look forward to getting to know more of you as we partner together to fight crime in our neighborhoods. Best regards Sergeant Jacquelyn Hulsey September 2009 CMPD Westover Division: Response Area 3 Newsletter Pictured above is the map of Westover Division Response Area 3. The response area is bordered by South Blvd. to the west and Woodlawn Rd. to the north. Major commercial areas in the response area include the South Blvd. corridor, Park Towne Village, and Park Selwyn Terrace. The majority of the response area is comprised of residential neighborhoods including Madison Park, Montclaire, Starmount, and others. Pinewood Elementary School, Montclaire Elementary School, Starmount Elementary School, and Smith Language Academy Middle School are also in the response area. The Lynx Light Rail runs along the border of the response area, and the Tyvola Station and Archdale Station are located within our boundaries. The Response Area encompasses 3.9 square miles of land area and 49 street miles. The approximate population is 12,698. Captain’s Corner In the June newsletter we informed you of the Larceny from Auto pilot that our division took part in. Surveys were distributed to citizens to receive feedback on the importance of having an officer respond to car break-in calls for service. We wanted to know if it was more convenient or advantageous to have an officer respond to these types of calls or to simply take the call over the phone through our Crime Reporting Unit. Your responses revealed that 76% of you felt it was a good use of police time to have officers respond to the call, 40% of you felt you could get the same service over the phone, 35% of you did not feel your case would be solved any quicker or solved because the officer took the report in person, and 25% of you felt it would because the officers could canvass the area, talk to potential witnesses, etc. The overwhelming majority of you felt that by officers responding, crime was taken seriously and it was valid and important enough for police to come. Thank you all for your input. In June we also kicked off the Youth Protection Ordinance (YPO) Project which ran through August. This initiative was aimed at keeping youth from becoming victims of crimes and from committing crimes through the enforcement of the curfew ordinance. In July the Charlotte Observer and News Channel 36 did feature stories on the initiative. In addition, business and community leaders have attended the weekly sessions to talk to our youth about staying in school and achieving goals. During the initiative, 40 juveniles were picked up by officers for curfew violations, 43 juvenile arrests have been made, and 77 individuals were stopped and Field Interviewed. As always, it is a pleasure serving as your captain. Please feel free to email me any concerns you may have or to alert me of the great work our officers are doing. You may contact me by email at epatterson@cmpd.org Regards, Stella Patterson CMPD Westover Division: Response Area 3 Newsletter Residents & Friends, It is hard to believe that September is already upon us! What a wonderful summer we have had in the Westover Division. We ended the month of August with an overall 17% reduction in crime—robbery and assaults showed great decreases. With the help of each of you, our officers managed to keep crime down and respond to the needs of the community. While I am very pleased with the statistics, I am well aware that many of you may have concerns about specific crime issues in your neighborhood and community. I encourage you to contact one of our community officers. Their names and contact numbers are listed in this newsletter. In addition, I encourage you take preventative measures to avoid becoming a victim. This includes being conscientious of your surrounding and being vigilant in reporting suspicious activity. With students returning to school we have to be extra alert of surroundings at bus stops, on campus, etc. Summary of significant August events: the 5100 block of Murrayhill Rd. The victim reported a white male suspect pointed a gun at him and demanded his wallet. grab her purse from her. This incident occurred in the Yorktown Apartments on Tyvola Dr. block of South Blvd after exiting the light rail train when he was robbed by two black male suspects. The victim stated one suspect held him onto him while the other suspect took his IPod from him. Both suspects in this case were caught within minutes and charged with robbery. block of South blvd when two black male suspects pointed a gun at her for no apparent reason. Neither suspect said anything to the victim and both fled the area. knew one another (either domestic or other personal relationship) and had a dispute resulting in a physical confrontation or were threatened with a weapon. Blvd, the Public Storage at 7233 South Blvd, Banco De La Gente at 6300 South Blvd, Beacon Hill Apts (maintenance shed) at 1322 Beacon Ridge Rd., Angry Ale’s Pub at 1518 Montford Dr, and a private office at 1374 Drexmore Ave. CMPD Westover Division: Response Area 3 Newsletter August 2009 Crime Statistics August 2009 Incident Type Frequency Larceny from Auto 21 Larceny-Other 17 Larceny-Shoplifting 15 Residential Burglary 12 Commercial Burglary 6 Aggravated Assault-Gun 3 Auto Theft 2 Strong Arm Robbery 2 Aggravated Assault-Knife 1 Aggravated Assault-Other Weapon 1 Armed Robbery 1 Larceny from Building 1 Larceny-Pocket Picking 1 Total 83 The Focus Crimes for Response Area 3 in August were Residential Burglary, Larceny from Auto, and Robbery. Focus Crimes are those which we dedicate additional resources towards to address. Focus Crimes are selected based on the impact they have on the community as well as the frequency with which they are occurring. Focus Crimes are established on a quarterly basis. Robbery was added as a Focus Crime during the summer months due to the warmer weather and more people being out and potentially victimized. We had 1 armed robbery in August compared to 4 in August 2008, which is a decrease. We had 2 strong arm robberies (no weapon involved) in August compared to 2 in August 2008 which is no change. Two suspects were arrested and charged with one of the robbery cases. See details below. The majority of the larcenies from auto (car break-ins) are occurring in parking lots with a few incidents occurring on residential streets. The incidents in apartment complex parking lots tend to occur during overnight hours. The incidents in commercial parking lots are not isolated to any particular time of day. Numerous case reports stated cars were left unlocked or valuable items were left visible inside the vehicle. Please secure your car and valuables and review the map and listing below for an indication of where larcenies from auto have been occurring. Larceny from Auto – August 2009 Of the 12 listed residential burglaries in August 2009, 9 of those incidents occurred in the Yorktown Apartments. This has been an on-going concern for police and is being addressed in multiple ways. Response Area Officers have been conducting saturation patrol efforts within the complex and City Code Enforcement had been requested by police to conduct inspections of the complex. Inspections began on some of the buildings and will resume according to Code Enforcement’s schedule. Officers are also working with management to make them aware of problem individuals within the complex and seeking ways to remove individuals from the complex when warranted. Two individual pairs of burglary suspects have been developed by police and multiple cases in Yorktown Apartments will be cleared by arrest. The three remaining burglaries occurred on Leafcrest Ln, E. Woodlawn Rd, and Beacon Ridge Rd (Beacon Hill Apartments). CMPD Westover Division: Response Area 3 Newsletter Crime Prevention Tips: Larcenies from Auto the intent to steal an item from within the vehicle, as opposed to stealing the vehicle itself. Although these larcenies from auto occur at any time and at any location, the majority of them are occurring in medium to large sized parking lots at business locations or apartment buildings. Citizens are often leave items in plain view in their vehicles which are being stolen. The vehicles are being entered either through an unlocked door, or by force, such as breaking a window or prying the door open. Items commonly stolen are GPS units, MP3 music players, cellular phones, briefcases/handbags, sunglasses, and even loose change lying in cup holders or ash trays. To minimize the risk of becoming a victim, please remove all visible evidence of these items from your vehicle. This would include items such as power cords or mounting devices as these items may lead a suspect to believe the electronic device is stored somewhere else in the vehicle. Residential Burglaries leaves the victims feeling violated and uncertain as to their safety. The burglaries in Response Area 3 tend to occur during daylight hours when no one is in the residence. As a general rule, a suspect breaking into a home is after property and does not want to encounter a resident. This is why these incidents commonly occur while individuals are at work. This does not mean you should not safeguard yourself from an intrusion during the evening. Please be sure to keep your doors and windows secure, and employ the use of lighting, hedge trimming, and other safety tips to keep your home safe and unappealing for would be burglars. If you would like an officer to evaluate your home for safety and security feel free to contact the Community Coordinator Officers at the Westover Division, 704-432-2442. Please be alert and aware of activity in your neighborhood. Encourage your neighbors who are home during the day to take an active role in watching the neighborhood as well. If you see suspicious activity in your neighborhood report it to police by calling 911. Residents are sometimes reluctant to call police and report a suspicious person because they fear they may be wrong. We (the police) would rather respond and not be needed versus not being called and have a break-in. Another crime tactic employed by burglars is to knock or ring a doorbell to see if a resident is home before breaking in. This is rare, but does occasionally occur. If you are home and receive an unexpected knock at the door make your presence known by announcing a statement through the shut and locked door. A simple statement such as “I’m busy!” will alert a thief to your presence and discourage an unwanted encounter with you. Auto Thefts complexes, business locations, or other parking lots. Vehicle theft from a private residence in Response Area 3 is rare, but does occasionally occur. To minimize your chances of becoming a victim of Auto Theft remember to park in well lit areas, close to buildings or other people. Keep your car doors and windows secured, and consider extra security measures such as audible alarms or “The Club”. Do not leave a car running or with the keys inside while unattended. This is an invitation for an opportunistic thief. This is also a violation of City Ordinance and officers are actively enforcing the ordinance by issuing citations. Citizens often ask “What if I have a vehicle with the remote start feature?” Our response is that the potential CMPD Westover Division: Response Area 3 Newsletter thief may not realize the engine will shut off when the vehicle is entered. The thief may still break a window to access the car, and ultimately a crime is still committed. Other Crime Tips: Please record the serial numbers of your valuable items in a secure place. Remember, if you save the serial numbers only on your computer and your computer is stolen you won’t be able to provide the information to police. Serial numbers are crucial to police to be able to recover property and develop suspects in cases. Photograph jewelry and other valuables that don’t have a serial number. Engraving is another excellent way to identify your property and deter thieves. If you are going to engrave your property, engrave your driver’s license or state identification number on the item. Do not engrave your social security number for security reasons. We have engravers at the Westover Division office we will gladly loan you. When school resumes in August watch for and report truant juveniles to police. Juveniles absent from school and wandering neighborhoods and shopping centers will likely create mischief or commit crimes. Westover Division has a truancy officer, Officer Steve Arnold, who is dedicated to tracking juvenile offenders, monitoring school attendance, and returning truant youths to school. A call to 911 to report truancy will assist him in doing his job. If you see suspicious activities please don’t disregard them. Trust your instincts and call 911. If you see someone lurking around your neighbor’s home call 911 first and then call the neighbor. While waiting for police be the best witness you can be. Don’t approach the potential offender. Just look for as many identifying features about the person or vehicle as you can safely observe. CMPD Westover Division: Response Area 3 Newsletter Meet Your Westover Officers Officer Chris Urrutia Officer Urrutia is originally from The Bronx, NY and attended Christopher Columbus High School in The Bronx. After high school Officer Urrutia joined the United States Marine Corp. Officer Urrutia completed basic training and entered the Marine Corps School of Infantry. Following training Officer Urrutia was assigned to the 2 months as a Rifleman. Officer Urrutia was then selected to the Battalion Sniper Platoon where he served the remainder of his enlistment. During his service Officer Urrutia served 1 tour of duty in Afghanistan and 2 tours of duty in Iraq. Officer Urrutia holds the rank of Sergeant and continues to serve his country with the Marine Corp Reserves and is assigned to the 4 Officer Urrutia was hired with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on May 14, 2007. Officer Urrutia is assigned to the Westover Division and currently works with the Focus Mission Team within the division. Officer Urrutia brings a wealth of experience to the Division from his military background. Officer Urrutia is a dedicated officer and extremely proactive. Officer Urrutia speaks fluent Spanish and is an asset to the community in which he serves. Officer Urrutia can be reached through the Westover Division at 704-432-2442. CMPD Westover Division: Response Area 3 Newsletter Community Meetings and Events: Madison Park Community Meeting Selwyn Park Community Meeting 7:30 PM Meet quarterly – Date to be determined Second Monday of each month 4800 Wedgewood Dr. Wedgewood Baptist Church Starmount Community Meeting Meet annually – Date to be determined Montclaire Community Meeting 7:00 PM Fourth Monday of each month Montclaire III Community Meeting Archdale Church of Christ Meet annually – Date to be determined 2525 Archdale Dr. Beacon Hill Apartments - Meeting with Westover Officers for Beacon Hill residents will be Monday, September 21, 2009, at 6:30 PM. Please contact me at event advertised here. CMPD Westover Division: Response Area 3 Newsletter September 2009 Neighbors Sign up for the newsletter to get the full letter including pictures and maps. It is great information for our communities.
