by: NICOLE MARSHALL World Staff Writer
Sunday, May 09, 2010
5/9/2010
After a rash of juvenile crimes last summer, some residents of the Forrest Creek neighborhood decided to start their own patrols to combat this year’s seasonal spike in crime.
The neighborhood, which is south of 81st Street and east of Harvard Avenue, is home to the Crime Commission’s newest Citizens Alert Patrol in Tulsa.
“It is a good program. We are starting it because last summer we had a lot of teenage vandalism-type problems,” said Gary Williamson, who heads the patrols in Forrest Creek. “We wanted to get it under way so that when school is out, we will already have the patrols going.”
The patrol program, launched here in 1996, trains neighborhood residents to “observe, record and report” suspicious behavior and call the police.
In the past year, the Crime Commission has added 15 neighborhoods to its citizens patrol program, said Executive Director Carol Bush. She said many neighborhoods likely started patrols in response to police layoffs this year.
“Neighborhoods are becoming proactive. They know they need to become the eyes and ears for the police, which is good,” Bush said.
Eight residents have been trained to patrol in Forrest Creek.
The participants were trained on what to look for and received magnetic Citizens Alert Patrol signs for their cars and flashlights.
Most importantly, the patrollers are taught to call the police rather than confront criminals if they see a crime in progress. Often, they help prevent crime by calling their neighbors if they forget to close their garage doors at night.
“As much as anything, it is to deter bad things from happening,” Williamson said.
Sgt. Brandon Watkins said burglaries and larcenies are among the crimes that increase in the summer.
“The weather is nice; kids are out of school. When they really don’t have anything to do, a lot of times, they will take up burglary as a pastime,” Watkins said.
Detectives are tracking a set of thieves they believe have been breaking into homes and stealing electronics. Those same thieves broke into the house next door to Mayor Dewey Bartlett’s and were standing at his front door in the 1200 block of East 30th Place on April 30 when a neighbor spotted them, and they ran away.
Investigators think the same burglars, who have been seen in a white Honda Prelude with a spoiler, have broken into about six homes in recent weeks.
Police said Bartlett’s case is an example of how alert neighbors can help prevent break-ins.
It’s a message Bush tries to spread every chance she gets, including last week at a Heller Park neighborhood meeting attended by more than 100 people.
“We started out reminding them that this is the time of year that we see an increase in burglaries,” Bush said. “Sure enough, right and left, people were telling stories about burglaries that happened to them.”
During the summer, people often forget to shut their garage doors, and burglars take advantage of the opportunity, she said.
Bush said that during neighborhood meetings she often hears people say, “I saw a suspicious vehicle, and I wish that I had called it in.”
“People talk themselves out of calling police,” Bush said. “The police are constantly saying that we canvassed the area after someone has been a victim of crime and nine or 10 people saw something suspicious and did not call it in.
“We hear the same thing over and over again. You gotta call because if it smells like a fish, it is probably a fish.”
She also hears people say they don’t report suspicious behavior because it takes police too long to respond. But Bush said she hears just as many people tell stories about police responding quickly to their calls.
“You never know what is going on in the city at the time that might be a higher priority. Even though it is frustrating sometimes, you still have to call. That is the system that we have.”
For more
For more information about the Crime Commission and about forming a Citizens Alert Patrol in your neighborhood, call the Crime Commission at 585-5209.
tulsaworld.com/crimecommission
Ways to avoid summer burglaries
- Trim shrubs and trees so burglars can’t lurk outside your home.
- Keep your garage door closed and locked.
- Lock your garden sheds.
- Arrange for your lawn to be mowed if you are going away for an extended time.
- Never leave keys under doormats, flowerpots, mailboxes or other “secret” hiding places — burglars know where to look for hidden keys.
- If you notice anything suspicious in your neighborhood, call 911 immediately.
Nicole Marshall 581-8459
nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com
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