Garland Police News Release:

Police Interrupt ATM Theft

Early this morning, an off-duty Garland Police Officer observed a suspicious truck parked next to an ATM at 2154 Forest Ln. The officer saw two men exit the truck and wrap a chain around the ATM in an attempt to steal it. The officer called in uniformed officers and when the marked units arrived, the suspects jumped back in the truck and fled, abandoning the ATM. The marked units pursued the truck into Dallas where the suspects fled on foot. Three suspects were arrested at the scene and investigators are trying to identify additional suspects. The truck was found to have been stolen.
 
Arrested were: Victor Guajardo, 19, of Dallas; Jose Hernandez, 23, of Dallas; and Michael Bernal, 22, of Mesquite. All three are charged with a second degree felony charge of Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity.
 
Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Garland Crime Stopper TIPS line: 972-272-TIPS (8477).
 

Victor Guajardo

Jose Hernandez

Michael Bernal

 

 
[It also might be noted that this location is only a block from the police station.]
 

Incidents of reported violent crimes were down sharply from May but the overall number of incidents only fell slightly.
 
Burglaries rose. Home burglaries were up some but still historically low (average for last three years has been over eight per month). Most burglaries to other buildings were during two short sprees. On the residential side, the Greens neighborhood had five reported incidents in three days. On the business side, several Firewheel Town Center businesses reported incidents over two days. Only two other incidents fell outside those two areas and times. Vehicle burglaries have now been the same for three months, 22 reported incidents.
 
Thefts fell (5.5 incidents below the monthly three-year average). The incidents of shoplifting were less than half of the thefts reported, markedly lower than most months.

 
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.
 

At last night's work session, Chief Mitch Bates presented several tools the Police Dept has been working to add to it's crime-fighting arsenal. He gave details of the online reporting system covered in the press release below but he also told of an online crime reports/mapping tool, getting accident reports online, and obtaining license plate readers and a tactical observation tower, all of which should be available relatively soon. All the acquisitions will be paid from grants, narcotic seizure funds, or existing internal funding. His presentation is available here by streaming video.   The online reporting tool should make it especially easy to report thefts and car burglaries.   I occasionally learn that someone has suffered a reportable incident but it doesn't appear in the monthly reports (such as this one for May). The victim chooses to not take the time and effort to report it. That allows a criminal to operate longer, harming more people, before being caught and makes it harder to see the affected areas and trends that would help our officers find the criminals operating in our community. With online reporting, letting the police know about the incident can be done quickly—while the details are still fresh—without ever picking up the phone or driving to the station.

Police Chief Mitch Bates

Garland Police Dept New Release:

Police Department Announces New Online Reporting System

The Garland Police Department has launched a new online reporting option for its citizens. Now the public will be able to file several types of offense reports via the internet without waiting for an officer to respond. The speed and accuracy of this web-based reporting option will result in more efficient reporting of crime and allow officers more time to address other community needs.
 
Offenses currently available for online reporting include:

1. Criminal mischief
2. Harassing phone calls
3. Identity theft
4. Lost property
5. Theft
6. Vehicle burglary

Once the report has been submitted the reporting person may print a temporary report. Submitted online reports will be reviewed by police personnel and receive the same investigation and statistical analysis as a report filed by a police officer. When the report has been approved, the submitting party will receive an email with a copy of the report attached along with the official report number.
 
The reporting system may be accessed directly by the following address:
 

www.garlandtx.gov/coplogic/start-report.html

 
or by accessing the Garland Police web site, www.garlandpolice.com, and clicking "Reports/Links," then "Citizen Online Reporting."
 

Although the number of violent incidents weren't much higher than most most months, the number did rise in May. Robbery and assault accounted for five of the reported incidents. Two of the robberies were the same night, after midnight, at the Town Center near the AMC Theatre. Two suspects were soon arrested and did give partial confessions. Neither suspect was from Garland.
 
The picture was just the opposite and much brighter for home burglaries, just two reported, the lowest of the last three years (or longer), at least four times lower than the average across that period (8.1/mo).
 
Vehicle burglaries (22) were the same as last month, a little higher than the three-year average (19.3/mo). However, unauthorized use of a vehicle was higher (5), more than double the three-year average (2.16/mo).
 
Thefts have been slowly rising over the last three years (average: 43.6/mo) but, at 45 in May, were about the same as we've seen the last few months and considerably lower than last Fall when the number of reported incidents hit 72. For May, two-thirds of the thefts were shoplifting cases for which arrests were made.
 
It would be improper to link crime to the economic situation the country currently faces unless there was evidence. There is no such evidence in District 1 (or Garland, to my knowledge). Reported incidents are as much as 20% lower than two years ago. Richard Cohen reports in the Washington Post that crime is down across the nation [backup link]. He says, "[T]hose disposed to attribute criminality to poverty—my view at one time—have some strenuous rethinking to do." He concludes, "[T]he latest crime statistics strongly suggest that bad times do not necessarily make bad people. Bad character does."
 
The article is timely and well worth reading. It's always good to reconsider and test our assumptions, no matter where we stand most days.
 
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.
 

When I read this news release of a local scam, I couldn't help but remember cautions we've all received about the e-mails where a wealthy Nigerian wants to move money and needs help, or one of the many variations. In the end, the money moving is from your account to someone else's. The con has actually been around much longer than e-mail, at least as far back as the 1920's.
 
If you have any information that might assist the police, please contact the number below.
 

Garland Police News Release:

Police Try to ID Scam Suspects   Garland Police are trying to identify one of two men who have scammed at least two Garland residents out of several thousand dollars.   Suspect #1 has been dressed in a business suit and is described as approximately 6’ 3”, 190 pounds, and speaks with an African accent. Police believe he may only be using an accent when he is scamming people out their money. A second suspect joins the first each time and is described as a black male, 6-foot, 240 pounds, and balding.   The two suspects show the victim a large amount of cash and say they want to give it to a charity. They want the victim to help them in giving the money away and to build trust they need the victim to show them some of their money. They convince the victim to withdraw money from their bank and when victim’s money is in hand the two suspects leave and never return.   The suspects will not go into banks because they say it is against their religion to be photographed. The attached picture and video was recovered from a McDonald’s surveillance system where the man wearing the suit had gone inside.   Garland Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for the identity of the man shown in this picture and video. 972-272-TIPS (8477).

Scam Suspect (Click image to view surveillance video.)

Most of the categories of reported crime that we receive each month rose somewhat. Total incidents was lower than most months but still higher than we have seen recently.
 
Some of the incidents occurred at the same residence on different days and several were in the same area of Shorehaven, Shorecrest, and Morrison streets. Residents in that area should be especially watchful!
 
Vehicle burglaries are a common crime because parked cars are an easier target. We usually see incidents in commercial and residential areas. There was actually a drop in the commercial areas for April and more reports from the residential areas of the district.
 
The good news? A number of arrests were made for shoplifting, which represented about 35% of all the reported incidents for the month!
 
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.
 

Garland Police News Release:

Operation Medicine Drop Results

This past Saturday Garland Police and the Garland Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association sponsored Operation Medicine Drop in an effort to collect unused and expired medications from Garland citizens. After the medications are collected, they are properly and safely disposed of.
 
Garland Officers, DEA personnel along with Citizen Police Academy Alumni staffed Operation Medicine Drop from two Garland locations. The groups took in a wide variety of medications consisting of liquids and ointments, syringes containing injectable solutions, vials of injectable solutions, medicated patches and almost 40,000 pills or capsules. The medications collected Saturday weighed in at 89.90 pounds.
 
This first program for Garland was deemed a success and there are plans for future drop offs. Officials believe this is another way to help in the fight against drug abuse.
 

Help Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse!

Garland Police Department News Release:

Operation Medicine Drop

Help Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse!

 

	When:	Saturday, April 17, 2010
		10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
	Where:	Garland Police Department		Old Fire Station #4
		1891 Forest Lane		3424 Broadway

 

The Garland Police Department and the Garland Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association want you to participate in Operation Medicine Drop. Garland residents are asked to clean out their medicine cabinets of unused or expired medications and prescriptions. Then bring them to the Garland Police Department building at 1891 Forest Lane or the Old Fire Station #4 at 3424 Broadway. Drop-offs can be made between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Garland Police will dispose of these expired and unused medications properly.
 

 

Garland Police Department News Release:

Operation Medicine Drop

Help Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse!

 

	When:	Saturday, April 17, 2010
		10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
	Where:	Garland Police Department, or		Old Fire Station #4
		1891 Forest Lane		3424 Broadway

 

The Garland Police Department and the Garland Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association want you to participate in Operation Medicine Drop. Garland residents are asked to clean out their medicine cabinets of unused or expired medications and prescriptions. Then bring them to the Garland Police Department building at 1891 Forest Lane or the Old Fire Station #4 at 3424 Broadway. Drop-offs can be made between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Garland Police will dispose of these expired and unused medications properly.
 

 

Don't throw away or flush your medications. Bring them to our drop-off locations and we'll dispose of them safely.

 

We are providing the community a safe way to dispose of unwanted medications while keeping them out of the wrong hands, as well as, protecting our water supply from contamination by pharmaceutical chemicals.

We will accept all forms of medications (pills or liquids). Please remove or mark through your personal information on all labels. All medicine bottles are recycled.

This program is organized and managed by the Garland Police Department with support from the Garland Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association. If you have any questions regarding this program, please call the Garland Police Department at (972) 205-2041.

 

Reported incidents were lower again in March. That follows the low in February, which was the lowest reported crimes since November, 2008.
 
Even though the previous overall total (February) was low, it did set a recent record for home burglaries (16) but we saw only six in March. Those six incidents were spread across the whole district; no one neighborhood was targeted. Non-residential building burglaries were restricted mostly to commercial areas. There was one exception in a neighborhood. Vehicle burglaries (17) were about the average of what we usually see. More of those incidents were in neighborhood areas.
 
Overall reports of theft were also low with shoplifting incidents much lower than we usually see. Those are the incidents where someone is caught. For the other thefts, there is seldom an immediate arrest. Typically, those thefts are in commercial areas but an alarming number were in residential areas this last month. It really does pay to remain alert and suspicious. It also pays to know your neighbors and to be watchful for each other.
 
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.