January 2012

--------- District 8 Councilor
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Trudy Jones-

This Newsletter is an informal publication by the Board of the District 8 Coalition of Neighborhoods for the residents in City Council District 8. It is not an official publication of the City of Albuquerque. Please forward any questions about this website to ABQdistrict8@aol.com

If possible, please share the information in this newsletter with the residents in your neighborhood association.
We suggest you bookmark this website and check it regularly for news from the District 8 Coalition of Neighborhood Associations.

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Congratulations to the newly elected officers of the District 8 Coalition of Neighborhoods

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In this section of the newsletter, we intend to post immediate notices of security problems reported to us from neighborhoods in District 8. We hope to also receive notices of recent incidents from the APD Foothills Command and the Northeast Command. This information is intended to allow neighborhood security patrols to be more watchful for potential and recurring problems.


The following website contains summaries of APD activity each month throughout the City. Each summary is organized by APD Command districts, so it is quite easy to see what is happening in your area. Summaries for past years are also available.

http://www.cabq.gov/police/reports/index.html


Each month’s report can be downloaded for reference or for reading later.





ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPARTMENT
CRIME PREVENTION UNIT

Commander Cliff Saylor, the commander of the Foothills Area Command, has provided the following information and advice as a result of the investigation of recent burglaries.


Dear Neighbors
 
On Thursday, January 12, 2012 @ 0207 hours, a concerned citizen called 911 to report that someone was looking into cars in her neighborhood.  She tells of being woken up by her dog barking.  She looked out her window to see a male figure looking into cars.  Officer Dennis Torres was on patrol and noticed that call in holding status.  He started driving to the call and asked Dispatch to log him on it.
 
He arrived in the area and began trying to locate the male subject.  He noted a vehicle door left wide open.  He stopped a male subject walking away from the vehicle.  This individual was asked questions to determine his business in this residential area.  He was also searched for weapons.  As other officers arrived to assist, Officer Torres was contacted by a resident.  He said that he heard a noise (sound of breaking glass from outside) and was checking on his children when he saw the police car.
 
Officer Torres asked this resident if the vehicle with the open door was his.  It was his vehicle and the registration and other papers were missing.  He also noted that the door was closed/locked and the window was NOT broken when he went to bed for the evening.  The male subject was found to be in possession of the registration and papers from the vehicle.  He was placed under arrest. 
 
During subsequent investigation Officer Dennis Torres was able to locate a second victim.  Her property was found in the offenders pockets and in the vehicle belonging to the first victim. 
 
This is just one more example of how neighbors looking out for one another help the Albuquerque Police Department catch criminal offenders.  Please contact Jill Garcia (332-5240) to learn how to set up a Neighborhood Watch Program in your community!


Residential Burglaries
Kicking in or prying open the front or back door is the most common method of entry. There is evidence that some offenders are ringing the doorbell and kicking in the front door when no one answers***. In two cases entry was made through garage doors that had been left open.  In almost 25% of cases no signs of forced entry were found. This was fairly consistent throughout the area command. In 16% of the cases the offender was known to the victim with ex-boyfriends/ ex-husbands being most common of these offenders. Electronics are the most often taken, especially in beat 531(which saw a 67% increase in 27-5R), where in 80% of incidents only electronics were taken. TV’s, laptops and game consoles seem to be particularly targeted.  
 
After reading the information above, you want to know "what can we do to help the police get these guys?"  First- LOCK YOUR DOORS & WINDOWS!   Second- secure your belongings in the trunk! Third- Contact either myself or Jill Garcia at the Foothills Substation (332-5240) about organizing a Neighborhood Watch Program! 
 
It is neighbors looking out for each other that leads to apprehension of burglars in the commission of their deeds.  It's the visual presence of neighbors looking around that prevents burglars from setting up shop in your neighborhood.  Neighborhood Watch Works!

*** In the past we’ve been told that, if you don’t want to open the door, it is good to do something to let the person at the door know someone is home. You can yell “I can’t come to the door right now” or just make a loud noise -- a barking dog can do the job too.

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We have representatives from District 8 who have been appointed to City Boards, Commissions, and Committees who may need to publicize issues raised at their meetings. Whether it’s a simple announcement or a brief discussion of a hot topic, we would like to provide a place for the information to be disseminated. Just send a summary of the key points to the website email address above. Please include your name and the name of the Committee or Board on which you serve.

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Finally, we would like to provide links to your neighborhood website or newsletter if you wish to share it with others. Please send the URL for your neighborhood news to the email address above and we will include a direct link in the list of Neighborhood Associations.


Some of the e-mail addresses for our Neighborhood Associations need to be updated too. Please send any corrections to ABQdistrict8@aol.com



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2012 Meeting Dates