Crime Watch

Near Misses
There have been several reports of "near misses" at the intersection of Fenchley and Beckenham. This is a 3-way stop. We know that stopping isn't popular, especially on hills, but please be careful and considerate of your neighbors. And watch out for the other guy - he might be the one who is causing all the problems. Another issue addressed to us by a resident is the issue of parking on the street. We realize that Hillsborough is not conducive to on-street parking; in some cases it is just plain dangerous. But it is not realistic to expect everyone to keep all vehicles off the street. Please do not park close to stop signs. This creates a hazardous condition when someone is stopped at the sign (in the middle of the street) and an approaching vehicle is trying to turn onto that street. And try to avoid parking on both sides of the street at the same location on the hill. These narrow streets just cannot support this, combined with traffic going both directions. We know that sometimes this cannot be avoided (garage sales, parties, etc.), but please think about your neighbors and the impact to them when you park.

Attempted Theft at the corner of Keswick & Hillsborough
The following narrative was contributed by one of our residents. It is a report of an actual incident that happened late one evening and is something that could happen to any of us.

While it's common knowledge that leaving your garage open and unattended for any length of time will attract the attention of thieves, I found out 3 weeks ago that your obvious presence is not necessarily a deterrent.

Around 10pm on a Thursday, I was working on my car with the door open and a radio on at a very low volume. I was wrestling a rather stubborn bolt and making more than enough noise to be heard from the driveway.

I've become accustomed to all the wildlife in our area, so at first, I dismissed a great deal of rustling around the outside of the garage. I later realized it was someone looking around the other car in the driveway. Within moments, I noticed the radio went off and I heard someone on the other side of the car. Expecting to find my wife, I stood up and was surprised to see what appeared to be an older teen grabbing as much as he could carry. When I yelled at him, he seemed surprised. Although, I cannot imagine how he didn't know I was 10ft from him. He ran out the garage carrying the radio.

When he realized I was giving chase, he threw the radio to the ground. I had not given much thought to what I intended to do if I caught him. As I began to catch up, I noticed there was a waiting car in the road (a late model white Ford Focus wagon). I chased him around the back of the waiting the car, still carrying the gigantic wrench I had been using on the car. He fumbled for the passenger door and completely missed the handle when he saw how close I had gotten. He yelled for help. That's when I noticed a second car, a dark SUV, further down the hill. As the SUV closed the distance, I realized my best option was to get out of the road. As I stepped back, the driver in the waiting car turned on his lights, and I was able to read the plate. Both cars sped around the corner at Keswick.

Thinking most of the drama had passed, I called the non emergency police number with the intent of just filing a report. After calling 3-4 times to get through, the operator was upset that I had not called 911. She informed me that a burglary unit had been recently established in Hinson area and was currently on duty. Once I was transfered to 911, there were two police cruisers pulling up as I ended the call. I would say they responded within 2-3 minutes. They also were upset I had not used 911, as they were on Hinson and could have easily caught them at the only exit. Apparently, they had exited toward Rodney Parham. The police had been located closer to Pebble Beach.

I was very impressed by the two responding officers. I expected we would just go through the formalities of filing a report, but the officers recorded every detail I could remember. I was informed the plate was a 'good match' and registered in Mabelvale. While the officers talked about responding to thefts from garage doors left open, they felt that my experience had been fairly unique. Perhaps the officers took a great deal of interest due to the bold nature of the thief and the number of people that appeared to be involved. They mentioned we have actually had very few incidents in Hillsborough itself.

While recounting my story to friends and coworkers, I heard of many other incidents like mine, including one recent theft off Rahling Road from a garage. The homeowner was mowing the grass in plain view of the thieves. That's bold! I also heard that a group roughly matching the description in my incident was caught last week. That's not entirely surprising given their lack of concern for anyone watching them.

Lesson #1: It is probably better to work in your garage with the door closed; and never leave an open garage unattended. Do not provide the temptation or opportunity.

Lesson #2: Call 911 immediately; it's better to be safe than sorry.

Lesson #3: Do not pursue the perpetrator(s). Get (and remember) as much information as you can and let the law do the chasing. This could have had a more serious outcome.