Prowler

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brookebortner

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Sep 23, 2024, 3:35:48 PM9/23/24
to EastRichmondWatch
FYI this past Thursday night at about 8:30 pm I came into my living room which was dark and saw someone standing outside peering into the window. I waited and watched: he was on a bike, with a big red backpack. He crossed to the other side of Alvarado and laid his bike down on the sidewalk and then came back towards my house. I continued to watch as he walked around and down the gangway on the other side of the house. Then he came back and started heading towards my front door. I flipped on the porch light and he ran and ducked down to hide in the gangway on the other side. I called the police. After about two minutes he got up and walked out and back to his bike and up the street making a left down Nevada. The police showed up 40 minutes later and apologized for the delay. The prowler was in his 40s or 50s, white or possibly Hispanic, not tall, stout, with a full gray beard, a beanie, dark clothing, a large red backpack, and a white bike. I'm on the corner of Alvarado and East Richmond. 
I was thinking that it might be useful to have a text chain that people can join where we can text alerts about such suspicious activity to each other. I'm not technically proficient enough to know how to set this up, so if anyone else thinks it's a good idea and is able to make it happen I would love it!

Thanks,
Brooke

David Cole

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Sep 23, 2024, 7:53:18 PM9/23/24
to EastRichmondWatch
Hi Brooke,

Thank you for posting this. One of the points of Neighborhood Watch is to  keep people informed about safety issues.

I think your idea of creating some kind of  text alerts that will let people know about issues is a great suggestion. Let me second that and ask if anyone reading this would be interested in and willing to help implement this.

David Cole

Jen Watters

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Sep 24, 2024, 7:18:48 PM9/24/24
to brookebortner, EastRichmondWatch
Thanks, Brooke. This is unsettling. Based on your description (grey beard, white bike) this doesn’t seem likely to be the same person who wanders up and down the street, occasionally asking if he can ’help’. No grey beard; dark bike.

Jennifer W

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Mary Lee Cole

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Sep 24, 2024, 8:04:47 PM9/24/24
to brookebortner, Jen Watters, EastRichmondWatch
Hi Jen,

There are several scruffy guys that slowly pedal bikes through the neighborhood, peering in cars and down side yards. I've seen several make return trips past our house carrying various goods they've: found? taken? stolen? The guy with the red backpack Brooke saw has a new (ha-ha!) white bike, and sometimes he sports a scruffy beard. He sometimes says "hello" and waves, like he's just one of the neighbors. 

Mary Lee Cole

dianastork

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Sep 24, 2024, 11:01:42 PM9/24/24
to EastRichmondWatch
Yikes! This is quite close to home for us! It's not good that it took so long - 40 min. for the police to get here. Michelle - with the police - should be informed of this. I agree that a text group could be valuable. I check emails a # of times a day; but I check my texts more frequently. And texts get a alert "ping".  Maybe Micha;;e or one of our neighbors might have an idea how to do this.
Thanks for this posting Brooke. Though scarey, i'm so glad nothing happened. Prevention is key.
Warm wishes,
Diana S.

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