Across the board, January saw more criminal activity than normal. Assaults and a robbery led the rise but burglaries and thefts also were somewhat higher than we've recently seen.
 
Most of the home burglaries were in the eastern part of the district, often not far from each other. Car burglaries were more spread, some in commercial areas but many in neighborhoods too. No part of the district escaped the car break-ins.
 
For thefts, most were in commercial areas. Again shoplifting wasn't the major type of theft.
 
The lesson from January for all of us is to be ever mindful and watchful for criminal activity and to report incidents and suspicious activity to the police as soon as possible. It can't be said too often: keep watch for you, your family, and your neighbors!
 
If you want to review the areas that have reported incidents over the last month, download the complete report here for address-by-address information that includes your neighborhood. If you are a Garland resident reading this but do not live in District 1, you can get reports for your area here on the Police Department's website or from your Council member.
 

 
The Garland Police Dept has made it even easier to see where and what type of crimes have occurred: information can now be accessed through www.CrimeReports.com. If the data doesn't seem to appear, "zoom in" further. Not all types of incidents reported are shown on the maps.
 

The Garland Public Shooting Range is off Pleasant Valley Rd, near the northern city limits.

News that Jim Day, owner of the Garland Public Shooting Range, has agreed voluntarily to make improvements to the range on Pleasant Valley Rd is very welcome.
 
The range has been operating at that location since about 1969. There was very little in the area at the time except some country roads and a few houses. Being in a creek bottom, there was not much concern that a stray bullet would do any notable damage. A city topo map prepared in 1988 shows the range facilities but does not show any berms. The closest homes weren't built until 1993.
 
Obviously the area has become more developed over the years. Still, there is no reason that the range can't continue to operate if no bullets leave the property. According to plans mentioned in the news report, shooters will not have any chance to fire above the berms once they have been raised. That will protect all downrange and also protect city property. Downrange are city parklands, a recently closed landfill that will eventually have other uses, and Garland Power & Light transmission lines that run on the same property and are visible in the aerial photo.
 
Some have insisted that because the range existed first, Garland and Rowlett should not have allowed homes, churches, and schools to be built in the area. That those who lived in homes or drove streets that came later than the range did not have any rights or protections to actions that occurred at the range. That the cities should be responsible for any improvements at the range. There is no basis in law or common sense for such claims.
 
Of course, some of those sentiments are reflexive, a desire to protect the continuing operation of the range. The range has reported a large number of members and regular users. Certainly many would have a vested interest to see a convenient location remain. Some worry that their rights, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, might be abridged. And there may still be a few that just know that Texans have a God-given right to own and shoot guns.
 
But also as Texans, we honor and respect property rights. Yes, the range has property rights but so do all the other property owners in the area. The range's rights quite literally stop at the property line. From there begins the rights of the other property owners. They have a right to enjoyment of their property and to not have others trespassing upon their property. Shooting onto someone else's property is unquestionably a trespass, and potentially one of the more serious ones.
 
I have been told by some that the range is very well managed, that there is no tolerance for not following the range rules. I've heard others say they weren't well supervised when they were there. In either case, there existed a continual risk that an errant round could be fired downrange or even improperly in other directions. Even if none of the incidents recently reported or the man shot over a year ago actually involved bullets from the range, there was literally the open and constant opportunity for such incidents.
 
It has been suggested that the totality of the cities of Rowlett and Garland were attacking the range with the sole aim of closing it, that another conspiracy was afoot. Never mind that on the councils and administrative staffs of both cities were many hunters and shooters, some with lifetime NRA memberships, concealed handgun permits, and most or all quite comfortable around guns.
 
I have been in meetings and on the phone with numerous city and state officials and law enforcement officers and not once did I hear a single person suggest that the range should be closed. I did hear unanimously concern for the safety of citizens that might be near the range, especially downrange. And while my sampling so far is much smaller, I've heard no disappointment that the range will continue operations and there is relief that a solution to the safety concerns has been proposed.
 
Things seem to be working out the way citizens would expect them to.
 

From the Dallas Morning News online:

 

The owner of the Garland Public Shooting Range agreed to safety upgrades Tuesday and avoided a court hearing that could have shut the facility down.
Mona Reeder / Staff Photographer

Rowlett, owner of Garland gun range agree to safety upgrades

By RAY LESZCYNSKI, Staff Writer (rleszcynski@dallasnews.com)
Published: 07 February 2012 09:13 AM
 

AT A GLANCE: Changes at range   Points agreed upon Tuesday between Rowlett plaintiffs and the owner of the Garland Public Shooting Range: Overhead visors on the rifle range will be modified with one-eighth-inch steel plating and lined with foam. The berm that backs the rifle range will be raised from 11 to 20 feet so that, when shooters use the modified visors, the rifle range will have no open sky visible from a shooter’s position at the bench. An additional range officer has been added to the firing line. Modifications will be completed within 30 days; until then, rifles that discharge 30-caliber rounds or larger are prohibited.

The owner of the Garland Public Shooting Range agreed to safety upgrades and avoided a Tuesday hearing that could have shut the facility down.
 
The city of Rowlett had taken action against the range after two houses a little more than a mile downrange were hit Jan. 16. Neighbors who joined in the suit argued from the start that the issue was not gun rights but public safety.
 
City Attorney David Berman said the agreement to provide higher berms and enhanced visors at shooting stations achieves the objective of keeping bullets from flying off the range.
 
“Our position has never been to shut the gun range down,” Berman said.
 
Owner James Day has 30 days to make the improvements, suspending for that time the use of rifles that shoot 30-caliber or higher ammunition.
 
“After that time, we’ll revisit these issues,” Berman said. “If they’re good, then we’re good. But we will not go away.”
 
Garland Mayor Ron Jones said Tuesday afternoon that his city will continue to support Rowlett’s efforts and offer Garland’s resources until a permanent resolution can be found. The range opened in 1969, and its use was grandfathered when the city annexed the property in 1971.
 
“We just want it to operate safely,” said Bob Sandercederlof, who lives across the street from a home that was hit and is a plaintiff in the suit. “We’re very pleased with the agreement if he [Day] follows through.”
 
A team of negotiators and gun experts met at the range to work on a deal Friday. Berman received the signed agreement at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday. Representatives of the gun range did not appear at the Dallas County court where the case was to be heard at 10 a.m.
 
The range owner had asked for proof that the bullets were coming from the range and not from other open areas nearby, which include a landfill, creek bed and farm. Under the agreement, he maintains the position that bullets that struck three homes did not come from the shooting range.
 
But unlike the June 2010 incident in which a resident was injured while working in his backyard, this time the city had evidence of rooftop and home entry points and believes it can prove trajectory that traced the source to the range.
 
“James Day has been very reasonable with this,” Berman said. “They don’t want to be accused of causing danger to people or property.”
 
David Bowman, who took action after a bullet entered his son’s bedroom, said his motives were questioned.
 
“People out there think we’re Second Amendment Nazis and want to see guns taken out of every home,” Bowman said. “That’s just not the case.”
 
Bowman and his wife, Janine, are competitive shooters. Janine Bowman competed in shooting sports in the 2000 Olympics and was the first woman to be awarded the highest marksmanship award in the Coast Guard, the Distinguished Pistol Badge.
 
“We just want the neighborhood to be safe,” she said.
 

There was disbelief among those that knew her because no one would have guessed it, but Patsy Leathers, a city employee, was part of a ring that had been stealing from the city for about 10 years through forged claim forms. [More details here.]
 
Almost three years after the thefts were discovered, Ms Leathers has been sent to prison and those remaining may also be headed to prison. Ms Leather's sister received three years probation, a fine, and restitution. Everyone arrested has now been convicted and those yet to be sentenced will be appearing in court over the next few months.
 

United States Department of Justice Press Release:

 

U.S. Department of Justice   United States Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña Northern District of Texas

FEDERAL JURY CONVICTS HUSBAND AND WIFE
IN CONSPIRACY TO EMBEZZLE FROM CITY OF GARLAND, TEXAS

Five Defendants Previously Convicted in This Conspiracy
That Caused a Nearly $2 Million Loss to the City

 
DALLAS [Friday, Feb 3, 2012] — Following a three-day trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater, late yesterday a federal jury convicted Kenneth Wayne Brown and his wife, Leah Michele Brown, of Westminster, Texas, for their roles in a conspiracy to embezzle funds from the City of Garland, Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. They were each convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit theft from a program receiving federal funds and each faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and restitution. Both Kenneth Brown, 50, and Leah Brown, 46, remain on bond. Their sentencing hearings are set for May 18, 2012.
 
Five defendants have previously been convicted for their roles in the conspiracy. In early December 2011, Duane Milford Stailey, 44, and his wife, Sharon Ware Stailey, 46, both of Leonard, Texas, pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy charge and are scheduled to be sentenced on March 2, 2012 by Judge Fitzwater. In early October 2011, Jerry Don Diviney, 69, of Durant, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on March 9, 2012.
 
The former risk management adjustor for the City of Garland, Patricia Leathers, 63, of Rowlett, Texas, pleaded guilty in December 2010 and is presently serving a 57-month sentence. Her sister, Connie M. Powell, 60, of Garland, pleaded guilty to her role involving checks exceeding $64,000, resulting in a three-year term of probation.
 
According to trial testimony and case documents, Leathers obtained checks issued by the City of Garland by submitting false claims for reimbursement for damage to vehicles, homes, and landscaping purportedly caused by City trucks or employees. Diviney provided Leathers with names and addresses to use for the false claims and deposited or cashed many of the checks. He then shared the proceeds with Leathers. The Browns and the Staileys negotiated checks payable to themselves and others and returned the bulk of the cash to Diviney and Leathers. The total loss to the City has been determined to be $1,968,479.
 
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Garland Police Department and the Garland Offices of the City Attorney and Internal Auditor. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Miller and Brian McKay are prosecuting.
 

 
Associated story: NBC Channel 5
 

 
Garland's In-N-Out restaurant near the entrance to the Firewheel Town Center off SH-78 is nearing completion. Hiring has started and training will begin mid-month. Opening is currently planned for Mar 1.
 
When the Council approved the location in 2010, it was the first public acknowledgment that the famous west coast fast food phenom was coming to Garland and to Texas. I posted a note about it and within days a Google search on the name and Garland yielded over a million sites. Excited transplants and area travelers longed for a chance to get their burger fix.
 
Speculation ran rampant that Garland would be the first site to open. When that proved to not be the case, there were many disappointed local fans. The first restaurant opened in Allen and the lines were seemingly days long. In hindsight, we can be thankful that Garland wasn't the first location. Our location would have had a lot more trouble handling the traffic. We just don't have the same amount of stacking capacity and area residents would have seen traffic jams symbolic of those in California, an import we wouldn't want to see. Burger, yes; congestion, no.
 
While we won't see the long, long lines and hopefully not the hours-long waits, there is still plenty of excitement and local buzz.
 
So, what is really in that secret sauce?
 

From the Dallas Morning News online:

 

Janine Bowman of Rowlett sits in her 5-year-old son's bedroom, which was struck by a bullet last month. She believes the bullet came from a nearby shooting range in Garland.
Mona Reeder/DMN Staff Photographer

Rowlett files to shut down Garland Public Shooting Range

By RAY LESZCYNSKI, Staff Writer
rleszcynski@dallasnews.com
Published: 31 January 2012 11:30 PM [Story link]
 
Bullets found at three Rowlett homes have led to a challenge of a new state law that protects longstanding gun ranges from urban sprawl.
 
Many neighbors, and Rowlett city officials, considered it an isolated incident when Michael Domin was shot and injured while working in his backyard in June 2010.
 
“We saw it as two streets over, not really a problem for us,” Dave Bowman said.
 

Dave and Janine Bowman took this photo of the bullet that hit their son's bedroom.

But on Jan. 16, the Bowmans were downstairs eating dinner when they heard a loud noise above them. A bullet had come through the ceiling and entered their son’s upstairs bedroom.
 
The officer who responded to their call had just answered one at another home hit by a gunshot on Domin’s street.
 
No one was injured, but lives have changed. The Bowman family now avoids the back of the house and their sons do not go in their backyard until after the Garland Public Shooting Range is closed.
 

“Our peace of mind is not there right now,” Bowman said.
 
Over the last decade, Rowlett officials platted neighborhoods a little more than a mile downrange from the facility, which is owned by James Day and has been in operation since 1969.
 
“If Mr. Day was operating safely that would not be a question because bullets would not be leaving the gun range and not endangering the safety of Rowlett residents,” Rowlett City Manager Lynda Humble said.
 
The city filed for temporary and permanent injunction against Day asking that the gun range be closed until safety improvements are made. The case is scheduled to be heard Tuesday in state district court in Dallas.
 
Rowlett officials also are encouraging residents to file suit.
 
The gun range owner filed a response to the court Friday, denying the allegations and demanding proof the bullets came from the range.
 
The action is separate from Domin’s suit, which is set for trial April 23, though Domin was in attendance when city officials met with neighbors last week. Like the Domin suit, the city cites a lack of ballistic baffling or bullet traps that would help keep bullets from leaving the range.
 
It is estimated the improvements to the gun range could cost $500,000. In his response to the court, Day said the requested relief would result in the unconstitutional taking of his property.
 
In September, a law took effect to protect gun ranges, which are typically small businesses, from the costs of defending against frivolous lawsuits.
 
However, while Senate Bill 766 prohibits cities such as Rowlett from bringing legal action against a gun range, it does not prevent civil action to recover for damages to private property, personal injury or death.
 
After 20 to 30 residents showed interest in participating in the suit, the city followed up with about 10 of those Monday night.
 
“As much as I would like everyone who wants to participate to join in, a large number of participants would make the litigation cumbersome,” City Attorney David Berman said.
 
Resident Jon Voorhies, who attended the first meeting, said the city presented strong evidence the bullets are coming from the range.
 
“I am very happy in the direction and efforts,” said Voorhies, who has shot pistols at the range.
 
The attorney general may also take action, a possible pursuit that brought Rowlett officials to Austin on Friday.
 
“Bullets physically went through exterior walls and an interior wall of a residence,” Humble said. “From a matter of public safety, it’s very disconcerting to me that anyone living in Rowlett would feel uncomfortable in their living room.”
 
Rowlett officials are not the only city officials concerned about the range.
 
Garland officials met in closed session to discuss the gun range last week. The city owns a landfill between the range, the Rowlett neighborhood and power lines behind the gun range.
 
Garland Power & Light officials said in late 2010 that they had no issue with the gun range, that it was not impacting service and that they had never had an outage related to the range.
 
But in a statement issued Friday through the city attorney, Garland Mayor Ron Jones said a line had been recently damaged, “evidently, from more than one round fired skyward from the firing line.
 
“While I’m certain that no responsible range operator would condone such behavior, the evidence indicates that other rounds are leaving the range and that this is not an isolated incident,” Jones said.
 
The city estimates damage to its power lines may exceed $100,000.
 
Rowlett police confirmed a downward trajectory of the rifle shot that hit Domin, but did not determine that the bullet came from the range. A creek and farm are also near the range and the neighborhood.
 
Another half mile downrange is Back Elementary School, built in 1985. Garland school district officials said this week there has never been an incident regarding the gun range that brought safety at the campus into question.
 
“If the owner of the range is willing to work with us and with the professional recommendations of the NRA and other shooting range experts, I feel certain we can come to an acceptable resolution,” Jones said.