UPDC Neighborhood Safety Report: Burglary Update and NNO 2012
Annie Johnson
The most recent Crime Notification Reports (November 8-14, 15-21 and 22-28, 2012) for the Union Park District Council are attached.
UPDC Residents: National Association of Town Watch (NATW) has awarded SAINT PAUL the #1 place in the country for our participation and success for NNO 2012! A HUGE thank you to all of the neighbors, block clubs, and party coordinators for getting folks out to stop crime on National Night Out 2012 and throughout the WHOLE year! THANK YOU!
Burglary Update from the SPPD:
The Western District has had 21 burglaries from 11/23 - 11/29/12. Please reference the grid map provided in our photos to see which grid you live in. The following burglaries have occurred in grid order;
Grid 7 – 1 attempted forced entry day garage
Grid 28 – 1 forced entry day garage
Grid 84 - 1 no forced entry night residence
Grid 87 - 1 forced entry day residence
Grid 88 – 1 no forced entry day residence
Grid 89 – 2 forced entry day residence – suspect identified
Grid 102 – 2 no forced entry night garage (UNION PARK)
Grid 107 - 1 forced entry day residence occupied – suspect arrested and charged
Grid 110 – 1 forced entry night residence
Grid 122 – 1 no forced entry night garage (UNION PARK)
Grid 124 – 1 forced entry day residence (UNION PARK)
Grid 128 – 1 forced entry night residence occupied
Grid 129 – 1 no forced entry night garage
Grid 143 – 1 no forced entry night residence
Grid 144 - 1 forced entry day residence
Grid 149 – 1 forced entry day residence
Grid 169 – 1 no forced entry night garage
Grid 186 – 1 attempted forced entry night residence
Grid 203 – 1 attempted forced entry day residence
10 Forced entries (48%)
8 No force entries (38%)
3 Attempted entries (14%)
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10 Night burglaries (48%)
11 Day burglaries (52%)
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14 Residences (67%)
7 Garages (33%)
Please remember that locking your doors and windows at your home and garage may help prevent burglaries. Consider investing in auto light devices to provide lighting in your home when the sun sets so early, and either leave outside lights on or install easy to use dusk to dawn lighting so that you will have a lighted path when you return home and your neighbors and police can see if someone is lurking around your home.
Remember to remove items such as purses, laptops, I-Pads, etc. from sight of windows and doors where thieves may see them. Burglaries have occurred where criminals cut screens, reach in, and take items in sight!
Help your neighbors, neighborhood, and yourself by being alert to unusual behavior or activity and ALWAYS call 911 immediately so police can investigate! Saint Paul Police need, want, and appreciate your calls and help. Do for your neighbors, as you would want them to do for you.Community Meeting about Burglaries: What YOU should know!
Notes from the November 26th Community Meeting about Neighborhood Burglaries held at the Merriam Park Library.
Contact info for the Saint Paul Police Officers and staff who presented:
Matt Toupal: matt....@ci.stpaul.mn.us
Mike Whistler: Mike.W...@ci.stpaul.mn.us
Pam McCreary: Pam.Mc...@ci.stpaul.mn.us
Burglary Update
-There have been 7 burglary-related arrests in November 2012 by the St. Paul Police Department.
-Most arrests happen on-scene at the time the burglary is taking place because of 9-1-1 calls from neighbors.
-Most burglaries are day-time residential burglaries and garage break-ins. It has been more common lately for homes to be occupied when burglars break in.
-There is not one type of person that is a burglar: young, old, men, women, and youth have been arrested for burglaries.
-15% of the total burglaries in the Western Police District (the entire area of Saint Paul west of Western Avenue) have taken place in Union Park's boundaries.
-Many burglars are not career criminals: they are individuals who have either had success stealing before, or individuals who saw an opportunity and are taking advantage of it for the first time (unlocked cars and laptop bag sitting on the passenger seat).
Police Strategies
1. Increasing visibility of Police Officers to discourage crime
2. Increasing calls in progress to catch burglars in action: need neighbors to always call in behavior that does not seem right to 9-1-1.
3. Using over-time funds to put more officers on burglary details this fall and into the Holidays.
4. Having officers dress in plain clothes and using the horses (mounted force) in the neighborhood to be more present and potential catch more crime in action.
Burglar Strategies to Break-in
1. Knock on front door an if no one answers, head directly around the back of the house and break in through the back door. PREVENT: If you are home and someone knocks on your door - do not ignore them. Yell through the door or make sure they can hear noise in the house. Always lock your doors, even when you are home. EVEN MORE: if you have a No Soliciting sign and someone still knocks, or if you get a strange feeling from someone who comes to your door and asks strange info or for someone that does not live there - CALL 9-1-1. Be cautions: did the young man who came to your door and asked to shovel your sidewalk not have a shovel? If its doesn't seem right, the police need you to call!
2. Break in through unlocked kitchen window or unlocked door. PREVENT: Leave your outdoor lights on and consider getting dusk-to-dawn lights. DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES near your door or in sight from outside the house. Many burglaries are quick and easy because we leave our phones, purses, tablets and computers right close to doors and windows where they can be seen and easily taken.
3. Enter unlocked garages. PREVENT: Do not leave your car doors or garage doors unlocked. Do not leave your garage door opener in your car parked outside the garage and the car unlocked.
What YOU can do:
1. Install outdoor lighting or work with your alley neighbors to get an Xcel Light installed. Install lighting high enough so a burglar can't reach up and twist the bulb from the ground.
2. Write down the serial numbers of all of your belongings, especially electrons, and take pictures of all of your jewelry and other valuables.
3. Put up a No Soliciting sign near your front door.
4. Lock porch doors so no-one can hide in your front-porch. Check front door and door frame stability and safety - could it be kicked in easily?
5. If the question of calling the police crosses your mind at any point - don't hesitate and call the police.
6. In the extremely unfortunate instance that your home or garage is burglarized, call the police immediately - no matter how insignificant (even if it was just an iPod out of the car) DO NOT go into your home incase the burglar is still there and DO NOT start cleaning or moving things around. Some neighbors actually start cleaning glass or putting items away before the police arrive. Please leave everything as-is until the police get there!
7. Set up a FREE Home-Watch if you are going to be out of town. Learn more: http://mn-stpaul.civicplus.com/index.aspx?NID=2309
8. With the holidays upon us, do not have packages delivered when you are not home - last year there was a burglar who actually followed around the delivery truck and stile packages left on doorsteps.
Success:
Marshall Liquors was broken into recently right at close. Neighbors up on Iglehart called the police because they had heard a lot of sirens and raucous the night before and found a random hat and gloves thrown into their yard that didn't belong the next morning. That hat and pair of gloves belonged to Barren Chapman, a career criminal burglar and the man that broken into the liquor store. Police were able to tie the burglar to the crime at the Liquor Store because of that evidence and an arrest was made! Thank you neighbors!
A home on the 1300 block of Dayton had been broken into by 3 youth (under 18) and because of neighbors, the youth were able to be IDed and tied to home break-ins on three other blocks in the Western District.
Other Info:
-Check out the Western District Police Facebook page for more info directly from the PD.
-Consider attending a Western District Monthly Meeting hosted by Senior Commander Todd Axtell. Meetings at 9:30am and 6:30pm on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the Western District Police Station, 389 N Hamline Ave. Neighbors have the opportunity to share info with police officers and get updates about current crime or initiatives in the district at the meeting.
Please let me know if you have an questions or would like more information about crime prevention in Union Park or other neighborhood activities and initiatives - like the Union Park Social Host Diversion/Restorative Justice Program that is working to reduce the student-related disturbances in the neighborhood.
The Union Park District Council's Neighborhood Issues Committee (NIC) meets once per month to discuss issues related to Crime and Safety, Traffic Calming and Pedestrian Issues, and Neighborhood Communication and Outreach. All NIC meetings are open to the public and the committee welcomes community participation. The next NIC meeting will be on Monday, December 10th from 6:30-8pm. For more information, please contact the Union Park office at (651)645-6887 or by email at in...@unionparkdc.org
WEST DISTRICT POLICE COMMUNITY MEETINGS
The Western District Police Department's Community Meetings at the Western District Police Office are held on the third Tuesday of each month at both 9:30am and 6:30pm. This is a great meeting to attend if you have questions regarding crime in your neighborhood.
WHEN: Tuesday, December 18th at 9:30am and 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Western District Police Office
389 N. HAMLINE AVE. (I-94 & HAMLINE)
Annie Johnson, Community Organizer
1570 Concordia Ave, Suite LL100
St. Paul, MN 55104
(651)645-6887
www.unionparkdc.org