Please be extra vigilant and be on the look out for ANY suspicious persons or activities.
Most recently, two black males were approaching homes in the Memorial area carrying clip boards and posing as AT&T employees (when asked for identification, they fled). In another instance, two individuals knocked on a door and when the door was answered, claimed they were seeking to sell “extra steaks” they had in their vehicle. Not long ago, Houston Police Officer Randal Jeansonne (Westside Tactical Unit) provided very useful information regarding tactics used by burglars in our area (see link below for the full letter). In that letter, he stated: “I cannot stress enough the importance of answering the door knock in the middle of the day. These guys knew that if no one answered the door when they knocked, chances are they were not home and it was ok to make entry into the home. I do not recommend opening your door and speaking to strangers. However, it is imperative that you acknowledge them by speaking to them through your locked door.”
Do not hesitate to phone law enforcement if someone you do not know approaches your home and knocks on your door.
The Precinct 5 Tactical Division offers further general examples of what might be considered “suspicious” and justifying a phone call to law enforcement: “Someone running from a car or house; Someone screaming (if you cannot determine what the screams are for, call the police and report it); Someone going door to door in the neighborhood or looking into windows and parked cars; A person who seems to have no purpose wandering in the neighborhood; Any unusual or suspicious noise that you cannot explain, such as breaking glass, or pounding; Vehicles moving slowly, without lights, or with no apparent destination.”
Precinct 5 also suggests the following when reporting suspicious persons to a dispatcher: “When reporting suspicious persons try to give a description of the person from head to feet, starting with hat, hair, glasses, facial hair, race, color of clothing and direction of travel. The more information available the better chance of the subject being located.”
Precinct 5 suggests the following when reporting suspicious vehicles to a dispatcher: “When reporting suspicious vehicles try to give a description of color, year, make, body and license number, but never put yourself in danger to obtain this information.”
Please report suspicious persons or vehicles to law enforcement immediately. Do not hesitate. Too many times we have learned of neighbors failing to notify the police when they were actually witnessing burglaries in progress or seeing the perpetrators entering or leaving a crime scene. It is better to be wrong in your suspicions when calling the police than to be right and not have acted. As mentioned in Officer Jeansonne’s letter, the last large scale burglary ring in our area was apprehended after a resident phoned in a suspicious person report. If you see someone on foot you do not recognize or someone who is not a neighbor knocking on doors, call law enforcement! When you drive through your neighborhood, slow down, put down the cell phone and become observant. Make yourself a Citizen on Patrol! You can make a difference.
Please in point – Message from Pct. 5 Sergeant Mitch Hutter:
“Today 4-5-11 at approx. 10AM – a resident called in a suspicious person in the 2100 block of Woodland Springs in the April Village Subdivision. Co-op Deputies responded. The suspect was looking up driveways. He was arrested for giving a false name and had a screw driver on him that he could not explain. Neighbors looking out for neighbors is how we reduce crime.”
Please do what you can to minimize opportunities for crime in our area. Burglaries of motor vehicles, thefts from open/unlocked garages and other “crimes of opportunity” may often be prevented by very simple acts on the part of the victim. Take the time to read the suggestions for how to prevent various types of crime in the links below as well as in Officer Jeansonne’s letter. Law enforcement is facing severe manpower restrictions across Houston and Harris County . As individuals, we need to do what we can to help law enforcement efficiently and effectively focus efforts. Simple things like keeping your garage door closed and locked, or valuables hidden or removed from your vehicle, can help keep an officer from having to make calls and reports on otherwise preventable crimes.
Letter from Officer Randal Jeansonne written in 2010:
http://www.briarforestsn.org/files/Letter%20from%20HPD%20Officer%20Jeansonne.pdf
BFSNC Safety and Security suggestions with regard to minimizing the threat of burglary:
http://briarforestsn.org/files/BFSN%20Safety%20Suggestions%20-%20Burglary.pdf
BFSNC Safety and Security suggestions with regard to minimizing the threat of auto theft and burglary of motor vehicles:
http://briarforestsn.org/files/BFSNC%20Safety%20Suggestions%20-%20BMV%20and%20Auto%20Theft.pdf