Charlotte Observer: Neighborhood high-tech watch

Neighborhood high-tech watch
Hyde Park residents debate using cameras to catch burglars.
By Christopher D. Kirkpatrick
ckirkpatrick@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Monday, Nov. 03, 2008

Lewis Smith, a video surveillance technician, installs a camera for a resident of Hyde Park Estates. The neighborhood is looking at options for fighting property crime, including installing cameras. PHOTOS BY DAVID T. FOSTER III – dtfoster@charlotteobserver.com

Residents have a lot of crime-fighting tools but sometimes don't employ them until after a crime occurs, experts say. Here are some things you can do to help keep your community safe.

Residents

Install pick-resistant door locks.

Plant painful holly and rose bushes beneath first-floor windows.

Get a dog or put a big dog bowl on the front porch.

Lock windows.

Install an alarm system, motion-sensor lights, and automatic timers for indoor lights.

Stop mail and newspapers when out of town.

Watch for strangers and unfamiliar vehicles.

Report anything suspicious to police.

Watch out for neighbors' homes and ask them to do the same for you.

Subscribe to CMPD's crime e-mail alerts. Go to www.cmpd.org and click on the “notify me” tab.

Track crime through an interactive map at www.cmpd.org; click on “crime mapping” tab.

Neighborhoods

Form a neighborhood association.

Form a neighborhood watch program. Contact coordinator at hkimbell1@cmpd.org.

Improve neighborhood lighting.

Install security cameras.

Set up an e-mail network to spread information.

Hire a private service for crime alerts via phone and e-mail. Go to www.callingpost.com.

After several break-ins near his home, Fred Glenn installed a high-tech security camera to watch his front yard.

Now his Hyde Park Estates neighborhood is considering a network of cameras to record and track visitors, and to capture their car license plates.

Cameras seem a bit radical for some residents, but the neighborhood's dilemma is universal: How far must a community go to protect itself – and what can it expect from police?

“No neighborhood in Charlotte is exempt anymore,” said Vic Wilson, president of the Hyde Park homeowners' association.

Home break-ins jumped 10 percent in Charlotte through September, compared to the same period last year. And only violent crime can make people feel more vulnerable than intrusions into their homes, say police and criminologists.

Hyde Park doesn't experience a lot of crime, but the suburban north Charlotte community off Beatties Ford Road has grown fearful this fall after a rash of car break-ins and several burglaries by thieves who kicked front doors open.


Some residents have already installed security cameras at their homes, and now the neighborhood association is debating whether to broaden the surveillance or add other security measures.


Hyde Park has only two street entrances – perfectly suited for video recording, says Glenn, chairman of the neighborhood's security committee. If approved, cameras would go up at the entrances and later expand to other prime spots in the established, 105-home community.


The security committee voted to research installing up to 16 cameras. A digital video recorder would keep records, and signs would let potential criminals know they're being watched. Several video security companies, whose industry is booming, were slated to give presentations to the community this month.


Some Hyde Park residents, including Glenn, say surveillance could help prevent crime and identify criminals. Others see it as a drastic reaction that raises worries about cost and personal privacy.


Wilson, the 72-year-old Hyde Park president, said he carries a gun, as he has for years. He's never had to fire it, though.


“I'm not going to be abused or have my family abused after working so hard to acquire what little stuff I have,” said Wilson, who's helping his neighborhood search for answers.


“We have to do something before someone gets hurt.”


Few arrests for break-ins


While Charlotte's violent crime rate has declined over the past decade, the rate of property crime has ticked up four of the past five years.


Police generally clear fewer than one in 10 home break-ins with an arrest or other reason for closing the case.


Neighborhoods are fighting back with a variety of measures – with some hiring security companies, forming citizen patrols and installing cameras.


Residents know they're the linchpin to keeping their neighborhoods safe, but some want police to increase patrols and work harder to solve burglaries and other property crime.


Even Charlotte-Mecklenburg's new police chief, Rodney Monroe, says property crimes should become a higher priority. One of his first moves was to put more officers on the street to pay closer attention to various neighborhoods' biggest headaches – usually related to property crime.


Charlotte's North Division, home to Hyde Park, has seen some progress: Police named burglaries that division's top priority. The number of break-ins dropped about 2 percent this year.


Police couldn't immediately provide crime statistics for Hyde Park, but Capt. Andy Leonard estimates the upper- to middle-income neighborhood has reported roughly 10 property crimes this year.


“The randomness of it does greatly impact a neighborhood's perception of safety,” said Deputy Chief Kerr Putney, after releasing Charlotte's latest crime statistics at a news conference last week.


Chief Monroe is also pressing District Attorney Peter Gilchrist to be tougher on criminals who commit property crime. Prosecutors counter that their top priority is locking up violent offenders.


The best defense, police say, is for residents to look out for one another. Neighborhood watch programs – with consistent meetings attended by police, residents and business owners – are crucial. CMPD offers e-mail alerts for neighborhoods and posts crime statistics – and mapping of crimes – online.


“The police are telling us we just need to watch out for each other, but that still didn't keep folks from kicking in front doors,” said Wilson.


Neighborhoods can also hire private security guards and, in locations like Hyde Park, build a guard shack where visitors must sign in. Better lighting and home burglar alarms are also effective.


As for cameras, they can help provide clues about suspects and crimes.


A decade ago, Charles Jones and his neighbors began installing cameras to help combat crime in their more-urban neighborhood, just west of uptown.


Jones, president of the Biddleville/Smallwood community, can see video feeds from his neighbors' cameras, which now cover most of their streets.


Police don't recall if the cameras have provided hard evidence to solve crimes, but they've allowed residents to call in crime tips and give descriptions of suspects. And neighbors say the cameras simply make them feel safer.


But some Hyde Park residents aren't sure if installing cameras is the best approach.


Burglars kicked down Joel and Karin Dancy's front door last month at about noon. No one was home, and the alarm system blared, scaring away the intruders. One grabbed a jewelry box from a front bedroom but spilled cuff links and other men's jewelry across the front lawn as he ran.


Karin Dancy said cameras might have been useful in identifying the burglars, but she also wants balance between security and personal privacy, she said. The tight-knit community of families and retirees has nothing to hide from one another, she said. But she worries that visitors might recoil at the thought of their comings and goings being videotaped.


Installing outdoor security cameras is also a complex and expensive process, said Randy Kossler, general manager of Priority One Security in Charlotte. The equipment for a 16-camera system with a DVR could run more than $40,000, not including installation, he said.


The cameras need to be climate-controlled and installed in weather-resistant boxes, and the recorder has to reside somewhere safe, he said. Outside wiring needed for the system can be a problem and an extra expense: “Is someone going to want their front lawn trenched up?”


Police say cameras might help, if neighborhoods are willing to shoulder the expense.


“Any time a community wants to take ownership of their own safety, that's good,” Putney said. “But they may want to think it through.”


Private guards expensive


Living around the corner from the Dancys, resident Charles Brandon said he expects Hyde Park's crime to get worse because of nearby Northlake Mall, which opened three years ago and has drawn greater car and foot traffic to the once-rural area.


But the 65-year-old retiree said installing cameras would be an overreaction. He'd rather see a security guard patrolling, as in some other neighborhoods. But that can be expensive, too.


Staff for Merchants Patrol say demand for private security is up and that the Charlotte company is booked through January.


Companies are coy about revealing price lists because of competition, but one industry representative said costs range from $12.50 to $50 an hour per guard. Neighborhoods and other clients can also pay monthly rates.


Some Charlotte-area residents want to patrol their streets. It's free, except for your time.


In Windsor Park, volunteers regularly ride around 26 miles of streets and report findings to police. Barclay Downs residents near SouthPark have established block captains for reporting problems.


In Plaza Midwood, a violent crime victim who was shot recently organized a citizen's patrol that is considering carrying guns – drawing criticism from some neighborhood activists and praise from others.


Best plan: Nosy neighbors


Despite some residents' desire to fight crime in novel ways, Charlotte police advise traditional watch programs with residents keeping a sharp eye out for suspicious characters.


But Charlotte officer Craig Allen, in charge of neighborhood crime prevention programs, said that residents have become more isolated and sometimes don't know their neighbors, making it harder to spot strangers.


“Back in the 1950s and 1960s, you at least knew your neighbors,” Allen said.


“Nosy neighbors are the best,” he said. “It's not going to completely cut out crime. But if people are watching out and they see suspicious activity and call 911, then we can get a car out there.”

WBTV: L.A. Gang Invasion

SPECIAL REPORT: L.A. Gang Invasion

Posted: Oct 29, 2008 07:12 PM EDT

Updated: Nov 1, 2008 02:28 AM EDT L.A. Gang Invasion

You can also find links to the video at: http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?s=9262275

Written by Molly Grantham

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - For two years we've reported what police and FBI agents adamantly say: Hispanic gangs are moving from California to Charlotte. This fact is highlighted in the 2008 "Attorney General's Report to Congress on the Growth of Violent Street Gangs in Suburban Areas." We obtained a copy of the 41-page report. It specifically lists Charlotte-Mecklenburg as a place where Hispanic gangs are heading in increasing numbers.

The Attorney General writes, "Gangs in the Charlotte-area have become more criminally active and have expanded their connections with other organized crime entities, including major drug trafficking organizations."

We sent Anchor Molly Grantham to Los Angeles to investigate why they're moving here, and what proactive moves Charlotte can make to deal with the gangs, crime and drugs heading our way.

------

You'd consider it a perfect Carolina blue sky over our heads, but surrounding palm trees give away the fact we're no longer in the Carolinas. Retired L.A. County Sergeant Richard Valdemar is sitting in front of me. We're at a cement picnic table in MacArthur Park, a place near downtown Los Angeles known for MS-13.

"When I say ‘Charlotte, North Carolina'," I ask him, "What do you think?"

Valdemar worked with L.A. County Sheriff's Department for 30-plus years. He helped set up its Gang Intelligence Unit. He now goes around the country speaking about gangs, testifies at gang trials and considers himself a gang consultant. He responds quickly.

"They're one of the cities being invaded by the Sureno Army."

"Surenos" - (which means "south" or "southsiders") - are Hispanic gang members who align themselves with southern California's Mexican Mafia. MS-13 is one of the largest Sureno gangs.

According to Valdemar, MS-13 started in Los Angeles and then moved to Central America, not the other way around. He says immigrants came into southern California and got infected with the "gang cancer". When they'd go back to El Salvador, they'd carry that "cancer" with them.

"But it started here," he says. "This is the birthplace of MS-13. Right here. It's not of the El Salvadorian culture. It is of the American culture."

Valdemar lists five main reasons as to why MS-13 is moving to Charlotte. One is turf. California is so over-run with gangs, real estate is hard to come by.

"Sometimes one corner can be in dispute with five or six different groups," he says. "It's easier to move eastward and set up shop in a less-intensive gang area."

"One street corner is shared by multiple gangs?" I ask. "That's hard to believe."

"Yes," he nods. "And it eventually becomes hard to balance. Let's say a particular street corner where drugs are sold is occupied by one gang in the morning, another in the late afternoon and another in the late evening. So you have shifts operating on the same street corner selling drugs. Yet, they're from different gangs. Eventually that will run into conflict because of a struggle over power and money and turf, so they would rather move to an area that is not such in high density of gang activity."

Valdemar says the second reason they're moving here is that we'll pay more for drugs.

"The drug trade is a financially a good move," says Valdemar. "The drugs can be purchased cheaply on the west coast, and then marked up as they move further east. They're tripling and even quadrupling their profit."

"So you can sell crack for more in Charlotte then you can in Los Angeles?"

"Yes," says Valdemar.

"And that's why they're moving?"

"It's one of the reasons," he answers.

A third reason he says is illegal immigration, and the availability of labor-intensive jobs for migrant workers.

"MS-13 will follow the Hispanic community wherever it goes," he says. "The person you hire that's illegal doesn't look like a gang member to you. So you hire him. But then he brings along his cousin, his in-laws and then his children. And those people may have gang backgrounds. Plus, Charlotte is very unusual right now because you guys are growing. If there's construction in Charlotte, that's where they're going."

This is where he pauses, as if he's a bit unsure whether to go out on the next limb. "The other place they're going is where Hurricane Katrina hit. Because there is construction going on there, these people can find jobs there. So you're going to find... I predict... I predict you're going to find... an influx of active MS-13 in Katrina-hit areas."

Valdemar says the fourth reason they're moving to Charlotte is basic geography. After southern California gang members are deported back to El Salvador, they are closer to the east coast. It's easier to sneak back into America and come to our area, he says, then travel the whole way back out west.

"Washington D.C. is the first place we saw them re-establish after leaving El Salvador," he says. "D.C. and the Virginia-area. Then they eventually spread to Atlanta and Charlotte and other communities on the east coast. Now they're even moving to the central part of the United States."

The fifth reason Valdemar says gangs settle in cities has to do with the police department.

This is where he turns the tables and starts questioning me. "Are your police prepared to figure out who and where the gangs are?"

"We've got a gang intelligence unit with a solid Gangnet database," I say.

"But are they active?" he asks. "Your police have to be active in fighting gangs. Gangs will see how educated the gang unit is in law enforcement. If they're not properly educated, gang members will be more likely to settle."

"Charlotte-Mecklenburg's gang unit seems active," I reply, "but it's small. We have a new police chief who just doubled it, but up until two months ago, it only had nine officers. Nine officers out of about 1600 in the department."

"If you have a small gang unit," says Valdemar, "you're trying to address the issue, but you're running from fire to fire. That's not an efficient way to put out this problem."

"Problem" is a massively understated way to describe gangs in Los Angeles. Valdemar says they get between 550 and 600 gang murders every year. He says Hispanic gangs do the greatest proportion of those murders. Not Crips. Not Bloods. Hispanic gang members. It has been that way as long as he can remember.

"Most of the attention in Los Angeles is paid to the Crips and the Bloods," he says. "The real problem has been and seems to always be, the Hispanic gang members. But it's just like the immigration problem. It's one of those things politicians are loathe to talk about. And the community seems to protect these very gang members which victimize them."

That word - "victimize" - is one I hear often when talking with law enforcement in Los Angeles. Especially the next night.

Producer/Photographer Jeff Keene and I meet up early with L.A. County Gang Detectives Adan Torres and Gus Carrillo. We're riding along with them as they patrol Florence and Holmes Avenues in the south central part of the city. I ask how they think gang members "victimize" the people who live in the 3.6 square miles they enforce.

"How do they victimize?" asks Torres. "There are no rules. There are no boundaries. There is no respect. Gang members don't respect their parents, how are they going to respect me? How are they going to respect their neighbors? They just want to victimize those around them."

"In fact," adds Carrillo, "that's what motivates me. 99-percent of the people who live in this community are hard-working people who want to be left alone, but they're victimized by that small percentage of gang members who prey on them."

"Almost 99-percent," corrects Torres. "Latest numbers actually show seven percent of the population is committing ninety percent of the crime."

These guys are partners. Half the week they work the Florencia-13 gang. Two other gang detectives are assigned when they're not on. Torres and Carrillo say they know their beat. They know exactly who should - and shouldn't - be in their neighborhood.

"When a case comes across our desk sometimes, we can pretty much tell or figure out who's involved because we've spent five hours or six hours out in the field with them," says Carrillo.

It is now time for us to go out in the field. This means putting on a flak jacket and getting in an unmarked car.

What we see driving around with these two veterans, is what Charlotte doesn't want to become. We don't want to be a city where gang detectives frisk random gang members they see walking down the street.

It happens so fast.

We're in the car talking, in mid-sentence, when Carrillo suddenly pulls over to the side. Torres is somehow already out on the street, getting some guy to put his hands up. The guy has a "God bless the dead" tattoo on his arm. He tells Torres his name is "Martinez".

"But you go by Slim, right?" asks Carrillo, who is by now beside them.

"Yeah," he answers.

"Slim", it turns out, is a 29-year-old Florencia-13 member who just got out of jail in May. The detectives quiz him, search him (when his shirt is lifted you see his chest covered in "F-13" tattoos) and fill out an identification card which will later be filed into a computer system. "Slim" declines an interview - "No ma'am," he tells me - and walks away.

"We recognized him as one of the local gang members," Carrillo says as we watch him walk. "This was good because we just made sure he's up on all his current parole violations. We knew one of his conditions was he could be stopped and talked with by police at anytime."

As we get back in the car Carrillo lets me know that even though the street seems relatively empty, lots of eyes are watching.

"Right now we're being looked at," he says. "Probably two or three gang members looking at us at all times. They're constantly looking because they're worried. They're just always watching each other. They'll stop ‘Slim' in a few minutes... they'll call and ask him, ‘Why did they stop you? What did they say? Why is that.. why is that white chick with them? What is she saying? Why is that camera guy filming you?' They're constantly being asked."

It is not a comfortable feeling to hear we're surrounded, and outnumbered.

"He was actually polite," I say.

"Oh yeah," he says. "They know we're the gang unit so they treat us a little different."

As we drive I can't help but notice these gang-run homes don't look so bad. Torres tells me this used to be a nice, middle-class area that is now scarred by the graffiti of violence.

Then, just like last time, we're driving along smoothly when Carrillo rips the car to the side. Torres is out before it's in park. Two kids had just ridden by us on one bike - Torres now has one of the guys at the back of the car with his hands behind his head. By the time we're out, the other guy is in the same position on the front of the car.

"Calm down," Carrillo is telling the older kid up front. "Calm down."

They're brothers. Carrillo and Torres pull them because they are violating a bike-riding law; one guy on the handlebars. This gives the detectives cause to search.

Carrillo pulls an almost-gone joint behind the ear of the boy up front. He also finds a fake one hundred dollar bill in his wallet. Carrillo recognizes him. Says he goes by the name "Blackie".

"Is this real?" Carrillo asks, taking the hundred out.

"Huh?" Blackie looks him in the eye.

"Is this real?" Carrillo asks a little louder.

"Nah, I took it from work." Blackie mumbles.

"Counterfeit. A counterfeit one hundred dollar bill?..."

The boy laughs.

"...Yeah, laugh all you want," Carrillo says. "That's a serious offense. You know what that is, right? That's a federal offense."

Blackie suddenly gets silent. "Yes sir," he says. "I know."

The quiet change is amazing. I realize there is some level of law gang members fear.

Blackie says he'll answer my questions. I first ask about his one visible tattoo. He says it's in honor of his older brother who was shot and killed in 2003.

"He was shot in an alley," he says. "He died with one shot."

He admits to being a part of F-13, but says his younger brother - the one standing at the back of the car with Torres - is not a member. I ask Blackie why he joined.

"People make mistakes, and you know I chose the wrong path, but I take care of my business, you know." He looks me in the eye. He sounds incredibly cocky. "I take care of my family and that's what matters."

"Are you making money being in the gang?" I ask.

"No."

"Then how is it helping you take care of your business and family?"

"Well, I mean, like, I said..." he stumbles for words. "...Like I said, when I was young, you know, I made mistakes, but, but I got to work the jig, you know."

"Got a real job?"

"Yes ma'm."

"What do you do?"

"Construction."

"How old are you?"

"23."

Wow, I think. He's not really a kid. "When did you get in?"

"When I was, like, 12."

"How did you get in?"

He pauses and looks away. "I'm cool already, man." He won't answer.

"Answer this then for me," I say. "You ever commit a crime?"

"Yeah," he says. He's eye-to-eye again. "I committed a couple minor crimes, you know. Riding a bike with no helmet. That's about it."

"The only crime you've ever committed is riding a bike with no helmet?" He knows I don't believe him. He could care less.

"Yeah," he says, "You know. Like little tickets. Fix-up tickets. That's about it."

Only, that's not about it. When we ask when he was last arrested, he says in 2004 on a domestic violence charge. When we ask where he got the scar on his head, he says from being shot in a drive-by over the summer. He says he spent two weeks in the hospital, part of it in a coma.

That's when Torres cuts him off. "You guys know who did it? Who shot you?"

"Nah." The 23-year old's head is back down. He clearly knows and is even more clearly not going to say.

Before we leave, I ask Blackie if he would get out of F-13 if he could.

"I don't regret what I did." He back to looking straight on. "I said, you know, it's like, it's just my path."

"So you're proud of it?"

"Right." He pauses.

"Do you want your younger brother to be in a gang?"

"No." He sounds semi-convincing. "He's going to school and everything and getting good grades. But sometimes he gets a little bored when we be out here, so that's when I got to snatch him up."

With that, Torres and Carrillo give these brothers a pass on the bike violation, the weed and the counterfeit bill. They tell them to stay out of trouble. The younger brother actually waves as they ride off. Two weeks later Carrillo sends me an email: Blackie was picked up with a loaded gun. No break on this one. He'll be in jail, Carrillo writes, "for a very long time."

This is where you stop and scratch your head.

This is where it hits you: you could ride-along with Carrillo and Torres for any five hour section on any random weeknight, and it'd all be the same. This is where you figure out it doesn't matter that an hour later, they find a 15-year-old gangbanger with a loaded gun standing with 5-and-6-year-olds at an ice-cream truck. This is the point you start to feel numb, truly numb, when you hear the mother of that gun-toting teen say, "Arrest him. Take him. I don't want him. I can't control him. I don't want him."

This is where you realize L.A.'s unstoppable gangs can be Charlotte's big lesson.

"Get ahead of the curve," Valdemar says to me as we walk through MacArthur Park, looking at elaborate graffiti. "People always talk about being proactive, but I don't usually see the budget or manpower or attention given to being proactive. That only comes after some poor six-year-old kid gets shot. Then we see activity. But get out there with a gang unit now. Find out what you already have."

"They're trying to document it," I tell him for a second time. "A new police Chief is putting officers towards it. But that's just one thing. What do you think really needs to happen?"

"The community has to get behind it," he says quickly. "The police can't do anything unless the community is supporting them. It's the community who calls up and says, ‘So-and-so is hanging around this park' and ‘These gang members accosted me while I was shopping'. If the people who live in Charlotte deny this problem, there's no way to work against it."

"What are the first visible signs we'll see in Charlotte?"

"Graffiti."

"We already have that," I say. "Nothing like this..." I refer to an entire tunnel we just crossed through covered with spray paint of MS-13 and Wanderers-13. "It's not this bad, but we definitely have it."

"People will get killed over crossing out this kind of stuff," Valdemar says, studying one area with words crossed out, re-sprayed then crossed out again. He looks back at me. "But after graffiti, you get the takeover of local parks. Then malls, or hangout spots. And schools. Yes, yes, yes..." he shakes his head. "...schools. Schools are one of the first places they'll be felt."

"So we would need to have the school system definitely on board with police in acknowledging a problem?"

"Yes."

"No doubt?"

"No doubt about it," he says. "One of the first things we did when we had our gang unit in L.A., is at 3:00 o'clock, we stopped all activity. Didn't matter what we were doing. We stopped and frequented and patrolled around the schools."

At the end of our interview I thank Valdemar for his time, and ask one final question. Almost as an afterthought.

"If you had to put everything we talked about today in one main message, what would you say?"

Little did I know how powerful his final words would be.

"Charlotte, you need to wake up. If your kids are really important to you, if the lives of your young people mean something to you, you don't wait until they're dead. Get involved now. As a parent, as a boy scout, coach or through your church. You all need to get involved right now before you have the problem L.A. turned into."

Charlotte Observer Reports on Neighborhood Efforts to Reduce Crime

Policing outside the box
Communities do their part to keep crime down, sending messages, hiring off-duty officers and posting photos of convicted criminals.
By Dan Tierney
dtierney@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Sunday, Sep. 07, 2008

When Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police began pursuing a suspect in a vehicle through Plaza Midwood in the early afternoon of Aug. 22, the calls and e-mails quickly circulated.

“Police are chasing a new white truck thru (sic) the neighborhood, per neighbor reports,” Rob Willis wrote in an e-mail to several residents and posted to the Plaza Midwood neighborhood watch message board. “Please be careful!”

With crime statistics up this year – property crime is up 3.8 percent from this time last year and violent crime is up 2.3 percent – many neighborhoods have started taking a proactive approach to helping slow crime. And it's not just the basic, long-standing neighborhood watch programs.

A few in recent years have started message boards, where residents inform each other of crimes or odd happenings around their home. Many have started phone or text-message trees. Others have hired off-duty police, and at least one neighborhood has posted photos of convicted criminals around the streets.

Police recommend almost any method that increases communication.

CMPD Sgt. Rich Stahnke said e-mail chains have grown increasingly effective, with many people accessing e-mail consistently during weekdays. Message boards, which police often peruse and post messages to, have replaced the “backyard fence gossip lines” of the past in helping police learn about what's occurring in a neighborhood, Stahnke said.

“It increases the flow of information both ways,” he said. “We can't police in a vacuum. We have to have that input from citizens.”

Many area neighborhoods use a message board on their Web sites, but Dilworth and Plaza Midwood might represent the most popular. Residents of the two neighborhoods often post reports of break-ins, stolen items and unfamiliar people seen in their areas.

Residents of Olmsted Park took it a step further a few weeks ago by posting laminated posters with the mug shots of two convicted criminals, who allegedly committed crimes in the area.

“It's a good deterrent,” said Olmsted Park Neighborhood Association president Phil Reitano, “because then criminals are going to know that people are looking at their faces.”

Scott Yamanashi, a part-time bouncer, raised controversy when he and others in June started an armed patrol in Plaza Midwood after a shooting at the Snug Harbor bar.

“Everyone (with a gun permit) has got the right to go around armed in the neighborhood,” Stahnke said. “I would just rather see trained professionals be present, rather than someone wandering around with a gun.”

One strategy – the hiring of off-duty police – has worked for Dilworth in recent months. After a string of high-profile robberies and assaults, Dilworth raised more than $50,000 for extra neighborhood patrols. Since off-duty patrols began in April, the number of crimes has dropped from 144 that month to 97 in July. Myers Park residents have also reported success with off-duty patrols.

Willis, the moderator of Plaza Midwood's neighborhood watch message board, is now testing and getting feedback on the placing of video cameras in Plaza Midwood. He's helped coordinate the selecting of 14 grid captains throughout the neighborhood, with only three grids without a leader. The grid captains organize contacts in their part of town to more quickly communicate if a crime is happening or an unknown person's seen.

The system, Willis said, is helping bring the neighborhood together.

“At least people are talking,” he said. “At least people are going out and knowing their neighbors and knowing who should be on the street and who shouldn't.”

Suspicious Vehicle Overlook

Attn: Neighbors

This was reported on 7/2/08.

Please be on the look out for this vehicle.

The vehicle was a dark red Toyota Corolla with a tag starting with the letters "TZY.

A neighbor saw this vehicle on our main road & ask them if they needed help. No they replied. This car left our neighborhood with their lights off & as quickly as possible. It was 5 am.

Be on the look out!

Have a safe 4th of July!

Patricia Vanek, Overlook Neighborhood Watch

Suspicious Vehicle Overlook

Neighbors:

Please be aware of this incident today. This is a sad occurence on a busy Saturday in our neighborhood.

This evening around 6:00pm (Saturday, May 24) several residents noticed a tan-colored Caprice parked at the entrance to the boat storage area.

The vehicle didn't have a license plate on it and there was dark tint on the windows. Shortly after the vehicle was observed, 4301 Andrew James Drive (corner house across from the boat storage lot) was broken into.

The suspect(s) apparently kicked in the front door and entered the residence. Thankfully, no one was home. We believe the suspect(s) saw the owners leave and that's when they broke into the residence.

The Police are aware of this break in.

Patricia Vanek, Overlook Neighborhood Watch

Mountain Island Promenade

Mountain Island Residents:

We need to keep Mountain Island Neighborhoods a great place to live. We need to support one another & stop this developer from making the Promenade another overcrowded shopping center!

Please plan to attend this meeting support our area & fight this developer!

· This petition will be heard at the Charlotte City Council meeting on Monday May 19th, starting at 6:30 pm in the Char-Meck Government Center.

· Although traffic and overcrowded schools are primary issues to us, the Council will only be considering what would change as a result of this petition. This petition would add at least one, as yet unknown, big box retailer, a drive around drug store, a revised convenience store/gas station, reduce the buffer zone with Chastain Parc and change the housing mix.

· Overlook Residents are encouraged to attend the meeting and to contact city council members. We particularly need to focus on members; Lassiter, Fox, Barnes and Turner as they appear to be sympathetic to our concerns.

· We oppose the second big box and the lack of specificity regarding the housing to be built. Please see the attached position paper for more details as to the basis for our opposition.

Suspicious Vehicles Claiborne Woods

Attn: Mountain Island Neighbors

Subject: Be on the Look out

Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 16:58:13 -0400
From: claibornewatch@aol.com

Neighbors: Be on the look out for a 80's Burnt RED Caprice style car Tag# XSX-4491. If this car is parked any where in our neighborhood,call 911.

Man Driving car is an accomplice of the men who stole my car. The last digits of the Tag number were gotten on the day the car was stolen. The first letters were gotten today.

The man was driving down Mt Holly Huntersville Rd past our neighborhood today. Do not approach the car ! Call 911!

Thanks and look out for your Neighbor
Ryan BrownWatch Chairman

Patricia Vanek, ONW

Absentee Landlords Clean Up Your Mess

Mountain Island Neighborhoods United
Crime Watch Meeting
Thursday, April 24 at 7:30 PM
Cook’s Memorial Presbyterian Church

Join your neighbors at this important meeting with CMPD, City and County Officials as they discuss a crackdown on Absentee Landlords, cleaning up vacant properties and other crime-fighting efforts.

For more information, contact Mike Craft by email at board@catawbariverhoa.com.

Recent Arrests

From: CharMeck.org [mailto:webrequests@ci.charlotte.nc.us] Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 3:53 PMTo: cwilliams1018@carolina.rr.com

Subject: Recent Arrests

I just want to take a minute to let you know of several recent arrests. In the last two days North Division officers have arrested 8 people for residential break-ins. Most of these have been in the Brookshire Blvd. , Mt. Holly-Huntersville Rd. and Mt. Holly Rd. areas.

All of the arrests involved the North Division's Burglary Suppression team. This is a team of officers that work in unmarked cars and in plainclothes to address the residential burglary issues.

Please remember that the key to most of our arrest for residential break-ins is a citizen's phone call and good police work. We depend on you and your information. In addition, on Saturday, we arrested two subjects in Catawba River for trafficking cocaine.

We are now working to have the landlord evict the offenders.

Thanks, Capt. Andy Leonard

Please remember that this is this email box is a DO NOT REPLY email address. Should you have a question for me, please email me at gleonard@cmpd.org.

Be Careful Where You Put Your Garage Door Opener

Charlotte police are reporting a new breaking and entering technique. Thieves are breaking into cars with visible garage door openers, taking the opener and using the vehicle registration to identify the vehicle owner's address. They then break-in by going thru the garage into the home< CMPD reported in March at least 4 break-ins, mainly in the southern part of Charlotte using this method.  Moral of this story: keep your garage door opener out of plain view and put your registration in an inconspicuous location

Promenade Developer Meeting April 10th

The MIP developers (Ron Withrow and Kimberly Young) will be meeting with area residents at
7 pm at Holly Hunter Baptist Church on April 10, 2008.

Everyone is welcome to attend. Councilman James Mitchell is also expected to attend
The purpose of this meeting is to:

1. Go over the proposed changes to the Chastain Parc buffer zone
2. Discuss further the housing specs for the apartments and town-homes going into MIP
3. Defend their request for a second big box retailer which would basically destroy the "village retail" concept that was a part of the original 2006 re-zoning.
4. Overlook's position consistently requests that the housing be not entry level and that no second big box is acceptable as there can be no assurance whatsoever what retailer will go in there.
5. We are also working with CDOT to address the planned light at Overlook Mountain Drive and the safety of the intersection of Chastain Parc and MHH.
6. We are also talking to NCDOT to promote an earlier opening of the Oakdale intersection with I485.
7. Please plan to attend.

We need to come to this meeting & show our support for our MI neighborhoods accessability, traffic concerns & to keep this a wonderful place to live.

We want answers to what type of development is really going to be built!!!

Keeping you informed.

Patricia Vanek, Overlook

B & Es per Officer Dendy March 20th-26th

Week: 3-20-2008—3-26-2008


For this targeted period there were 8 break-ins in Response Area Two. Computers, televisions, cameras, video game systems, and jewelry continue to be the most commonly stolen items.

Trends of Note:

Response Area Two was hit hard in two of our communities. Catawba River Plantation and Northwood’s Forest accounted for 7 of the 8 B&Es!!!! This area will be the focus of the Burglary Suppression Team this week

Firearms:

None this week!

Suspect Vehicles:

On Dauphine Drive: (Off Mt. Holly Huntersville Rd) White Jeep Liberty or Dodge caravan. 3 B/M suspects.

On Pine Mountain Ln: (Northwood’s) Grey Nissan occupied by a B/M with dreds.

Response Area Two:

In Catawba River Plantation:

Pawley Drive
Seedling Ln
Aubreywood Drive (X2): 1st day an attempt, came back next day and broke into again. Residence has an alarm system.

Northwood’s:

Northwood’s Forest Drive: Suspect(s) broke window to get in. Resident did not fix the window properly so over the next two days the suspects returned and entered through the same point of entry.
Appleberry Ln:
Pine Mountain Rd:

Plan of Action:

In Response Area Two we will be checking the neighborhoods between Old Plank Rd, and Pleasant Grove Rd. We will then focus on Brookmere, Catawba River Plantation, and Northwoods.

Thank you Officer Dendy for your diligent work for our community.

Keeping you informed.

Patricia Vanek, Overlook Neighborhood Watch Coordinator

SUV 2000 Lexus RX 300 LICENSE # NRX 3159

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Police in Charlotte said three men may be responsible for a string of break-ins and stolen cars that started last week. Detectives are asking officers to watch for a silver Lexus SUV that was stolen during a break-in on Thursday off Randolph Road in Charlotte. That same SUV was used in a series of break-ins, including two off Providence Road in south Charlotte on Friday and one near Mountain Island Lake on Monday morning. In two of the break-ins, homeowners came home to find the thieves in their homes, but the men managed to get away. That SUV is a 2000 Lexus RX 300 with a license plate NRX 3159. If you see that car, police want you to call 911.

Boat Storage Break In At Mountain Island Harbor

On the weekend of March 15, 2008, someone cut through the fence protecting the boat storage area at Mountain Island Harbor and took an unknown amount of items from them. please be sure to keep valuable items stored someplace other than on stored boat and also keep them out of sight. We are now moving into the spring/summer period and thefts from boats, both stored and on the lake, normally increase at this time.

Charlotte Observer: Closer Scrutiny for Duke's Coal Ash

There is a very interesting story in today's Charlotte Observer for anyone who lives near, boats on, fishes in or drinks water from Mountain Island Lake concerning coal ash from Duke Energy's power plants.

According to the article by Bruce Henderson:

"Riverbend and Duke Energy's seven other Carolinas coal-fired plants disgorge 2.2 million tons of ash a year. Two-thirds is dumped in landfills and ponds at the plants, an old practice that has begun to worry regulators.

Coal ash is loaded with metals that can contaminate groundwater and lakes like Mountain Island, the chief water supply for more than 850,000 people. Millions of gallons of water a day flow from Duke's ash ponds into the Catawba."

One of the biggest issues raised by the story is whether any government agency is taking full responsibility for the coal ash situation and making sure that groundwater is being properly monitored.

You can read the full story at:

http://www.charlotte.com/112/story/497420.html

Mountain Island Promenade Rezoning

MIP consists of up to 765 housing units plus extensive retail and ofice space, when completed in late 2009. This develop will have a significant impact n the Mountain Island area, including 20,000 more daily trips on Mount Holly Huntersville Rd. Despite our protests in 2006 to limit the scale and address traffic in a broader way, MIP was approved by the Charlotte City Council. Now the developer is back to get his site plan amended to include the possibility of a 2nd "big box" store (Lowe's Home Improvement is the first), increasing the number of apartments and decreasing the size of the townhomes. It is now quickly moving away from the "first class" development we were promised.

The initial hearing on this proposal will be Monday Feb 18 at 6 pm at the Char Meck Govt Center at 400 Fourth St. Chastain Parc and Overlook plan to speak on it, asking that the City Council will direct that a new Traffic Impact Study be conducted, that the specifications regarding the housing be changed so that something better than entry level housing be constructed, that Charlotte guidelines say that only one "big box" is allowed and that issues in the Chastain Parc buffer be addressed. Our area does not need more entry level housing and apartments and it needs the MHH traffic problem addressed now, not after it becomes impossible to get in and out of our neighborhoods.

Please join me and others in the "fight" during the next 30 days to preserve/improve our quality of life in the Mountain Island area. Come to the initial hearing Monday night!! For more info, e-mail me at blm245@aol.com

Links to Mountain Island Monitor Articles

Here are the links to informative articles from the current issue of the Mountain Island Monitor:

More Apartments for the Promenade?


Mountain Island Neighbors Rally Against Crime

Heroes Aren't that Hard to Find

Suspicious Vehicles Oakdale

I called 911 concerning a suspicious car, Grey? Maxima lic. WSL-6061, that was parked on Oakdale Commons just past midnight. This car drove off, exiting the development with it's lights off and then returned minutes later.

I tried to confront them (2-Black males) near 2811 Oakdale Pasture and they drove off again. They met up with another vehicle, Reddish/Purple? Ford Taurus lic. WXE-9141 (light skinned black male under 5 1/2 foot tall) on Oakdale near Oakdale Middle School.

The officers that arrived confirmed that these two cars "most likely" did not belong based upon their registration info. I certainly believe the Maxima was casing one our homes. Please keep an eye out for these cars, Nissan Maxima & Ford Taurus, and call 911.

William Watkins
2412 Oakdale Creek Lane

Facts About Mountain Island Lake

According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services:

1. Mountain Island Lake is the smallest of three lakes bordering Mecklenburg County.

2. The lake was formed in 1924 with construction of the Mountain Island Hydroelectric Station.

3. Mountain Island Lake has a total surface area of 2,788 acres.

4. There are 27 miles of shoreline in Mecklenburg County.

5. It is the primary water source for Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Gastonia and Mt. Holly.

6. Water stays in Mountain Island Lake for 11 days before flowing into Lake Wylie.

North Carolina Department of Transportation Traffic Cameras

If you are planning to run errands around Charlotte or you are making a trip to another city in North Carolina you can check out traffic and road conditions by visiting the North Carolina Department of Transportation website.

By going the http://www.ncdot.org/traffictravel/ you can select your region and click on one of the dozens of traffic cameras in each area. It is easy and a few clicks of your mouse could save you plenty of time.

Suspicious Activity Overlook MHH Road

Good Afternoon Fellow Neighbors!

I'm Patricia Vanek, Overlook Neighborhood Watch Coordinator

According to Officer Dendy the Police Helo was in Huntersville & came to help. Police investigated but no arrests. This event took place 2/4/08.

Tom our President received the information from a Chastain Board Member. Thank you!

I wanted to let you know I called the police today because of 2 black males who were on Overlook's property. They were walking in front of the neighborhood sign area going towards Walmart. They turned around when they reached the end of the 1st sign and entered the property just to the right of the sign. I could see one set of feet. The other male disappeared out of sight.

About 2 minutes after they went into the bushes/trees, I heard what sounded like a small caliber gun shot. About one minute later, the males exited the property and went down Mt. Holly-Huntersville Rd. towards Chastain.

I never saw the police respond to my call (the "gun shot" happened while I was talking to a dispatcher). Shortly after that, a Char-Meck police helicopter was circling Chastain for about 20 minutes. I called the police dept. to find out why and they said there was a suspicious person reported in our neighborhood (black with dredlocks).

Not that it will help much, but here is a description of the two males:

Both were in their mid to late teens, one about 4 inches shorter than the other one. The taller male was dressed in a black jacket, orange shirt, black pants with white writing down the outside of the right leg, and he had a doo (spelling?) rag on.

The shorter male was dressed in a black jacket, black pants with a red strip around the knee area (approx. 1" in diameter) on both legs, and black doo rag.I hope nothing happened.

Silver acura with 3 men in park at Overlook

This morning I was walking from the path to the gazeebo park in Overlook and came across a silver acura (older model) with 3 men in their late 20's or early 30's inside. The windows were all closed and fogged up. When they saw me and my walking partner appear they started their car and slowly backed out to see us, then they opened the drivers window. I saw an Asian man with short layered dark hair driving and the front passenger had a Panthers jacket on, the glass was too fogged to make out the details on the third man in the backseat.
I doubt that they were there to use the swings. I called in the plate to 911. They took off at a pretty fast clip after backing out and seeing me on my phone. Was it drug related?

Mountain Island Monitor Reports on Jan. 24th Meeting

The current issue of the Mountain Island Monitor has several articles about issues impacting the quality of life in our area.

The Monitor's website is a little bit behind, so we cannot link to the stories yet, but the current issue is well worth spending time with if you are interested in efforts to reduce crime in the area and concerned about the escalating the size of the Mountain Island Promenade project.

The paper's coverage includes an article and an editorial about the Jan. 24th meeting among representatives of a number of neighborhoods and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department at Cooks Memorial Presbyterian Church. There is a column by Judy Rozzelle that questions whether Charlotte city officials are paying attention to issues important to the area. She gives out phone numbers and email address for elected officials. There is also a story about the developers of Mountain Island Promenade attempting to tack on additional apartment units even before the groundbreaking for the massive project at Route 16 and Mount Holly-Huntersville Road. The Mountain Island Neighborhood Organization claims Cambridge Properties, developer of the Promenade, is trying to back out of previous agreements.

About This Blog

Welcome to the MINU Blog. This blog has been created as a simple way for neighborhoods near Mountain Island Lake, located north of Charlotte, N.C., to communicate regarding important issues, such as crime, development and government services.

This blog is designed so that neighbors can easily post and share information. Representatives of home owners associations, neighborhood watch groups and other authorized organizations serving the communities of Mountain Island Lake can obtain posting rights to the site. Anyone living or working in the area can post comments to the site, which will be monitored and added to the MINU blog on a regular basis. This blog is a non-commercial site and will not accept advertising from any businesses. We hope to create a positive and productive dialog, reserving the right to edit or remove any offensive materials. Individuals contributing to this blog are responsible for the accuracy and content of their posts.

The MINU blog will grow and change as the needs of the area shift and develop. We believe that as neighbors we have a right and responsibility to help each other. Together we are better able to meet the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities offered to us as residents of this beautiful area.

Mountain Island Lake is a great area to call home, but we recognize that we live on the edge of one of the fastest growing cities in the southeast. To preserve the lifestyle that we all enjoy we must be involved and aware. The MINU blog is one way we can keep our families safe and secure, protect our property values, help inform our neighbors, and support public and private efforts that contribute to a positive place to call home.

Mountain Island Neighborhoods United is a voluntary grassroots organization and counts on the efforts of individuals willing to take the time to make a difference. Please share your ideas, tell your neighbors about this blog and join the effort to keep this a great place to live.