Orchard Breeze Neighborhood Association

Community Policing News - Patrol West Bureau

Oct 01, 2007

Officer Charley Davidson
DRUG HOUSES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
I would like to address three questions that I am often asked by citizens on the phone or at a neighborhood association meeting regarding possible drug houses in their neighborhood.

How do I know whether a drug house is active in my neighborhood?

Drug House Danger Signs

Increased short-term auto and pedestrian visits at unusual times during the day and right to a particular house or apartment.

Increase in litter such as used syringes, plastic bag, glass pipes, bottles, trash, stacks of used matches, and graffiti.

Increase in crimes like auto burglaries, home burglaries robbery, vandalism and assault.

Increase in noise such as loud voices, parties, fights, gunfire and loud radios especially at night.

Active prostitution in or around the neighborhood.
Residences with blacked out windows.

Unusual, strong odors (like cat urine, either, ammonia, acetone or other chemicals)

What kind of information would the Wichita Police Department like about a drug house in my neighborhood?

Drug sellers: (specific description) Name, race, sex, age, height and weight, hair, build and complextion, dress, scars, marks, or tattoos, and distinctfeatures (limp, piercings, beard ect.).

Drug seller/Drug supplier?’s car: (detailed description of seller?’s/ supplier?’scar only) color, make model, license tag no., and 2 or 4 door.
Address: (complete address) number and street, apartment, upper, lower, or side by side.

Building or House: (general description) color, constructed of (siding, brick, etc.), type of building (apartment, house, duplex, business, garage, etc.).

Windows: (something out of the ordinary) used as a lookout or blocked out (sheets, paper foil).
Drug byers: (general characteristics as a whole)

Age range, races (white, black, Hispanic, asian, mixed or other), dress, and male or female.

Types of drugs: (IF POSSIBLE, kind of drugs that are sold at the house) marijuana, crack, cocaine, methamphetamine, etc.

Times of activity: (heaviest times that drug buyers visit) times of the day of the week, vehicle color, make, model, and license tag number.

Vehicles or walk-ups: (where do drug buyers park their vehicles or where do walkers come from) park (in front, down the street, alley, etc.) walk (cut through backyard, alley, ect.)

Weapons

Pictures/Videos

How do we get rid of a drug house?

Contacting SCAT (Special Community Action Team)
The Wichita Police Department recognizes that we cannot win the war against gangs and druigs alone. Gangs and drugs affect all of us and often destroy our community and families. We need your help, DO NOT look the other way and say it?’s not my problem. We need the community to get involved to be our extra eyes and ears. Get Involved!

Any information received by you will be kept confidential and you will be doing your community a service. YOU can make a difference by calling the Patrol West Bureau S.C.A.T. Team at 337-9400 or 267-SCAT.

Organizing A Neighborhood Watch
Block by block community mobilization is the most powerful weapon in the war on drugs. A neighborhood watch is the fastest, safest, and most effective way to rid your neighborhood of a drug house and prevent it from coming back. Why? Your neighbors and you coming together gives you power and power gives you results to take back your neighborhood block. For information on starting a neighborhood watch you can call me at (316) 337-9400 or email me at cdavidson@wichita.gov.


August
Burglary Tips to Keep Your Home and Property Safe

Burglars take a variety of items such as but not limited to cash, electronics, lawn mowers, game systems and computers. They particularly like tools and jewelry because they are easy to pawn but difficult to track. Here are some helpful tips to reduce the chance of you becoming a victim and if you are a victim these tips will help detectives to possibly recover your property.
?• If you have ever locked yourself out of the house, you may have found yourself walking around the exterior of your home looking for the easiest way in. Burglars do the same thing.
?• Overhead garage doors are usually a problem only when they are left open. It only takes a few seconds for a burglar to walk in off the street and take some valuable item from your garage. It also gives them easy access to get inside your home. Keep your overhead door closed at all times. If you see your neighbor?’s overhead garage door open, call and let them know.
?• Please take the time to record the model and serial numbers on game systems, electronics, camera and computers. Place these numbers in a secure place. If your home is burglarized and you have not recorded these numbers it will be very difficult for the police to find and return your property. A large majority of all property taken in home burglaries ends up in pawn shops who have to record these serial numbers and report them to the police
?• Sometimes serial numbers are removed or hard to read so it is a good idea to engrave your property. You can borrow an engraver from and Wichita Police Department Substation. Hand tools such as wrenches and sockets do not usually have serial numbers. They are easy to pawn at pawnshops and one wrench pretty much looks like another unless you engrave it. This will help you get your property back and help your burglary detectives catch the bad guys.
?• Expensive jewelry should be appraised and photographed. If you can, take a close-up picture of any jewelry you value.
?• You know your neighborhood best. If you see something suspicious please call 911 and report the suspicious activity right away. If you see a car drive around the block several times watching houses or kids, someone peeking inside your neighbors windows, someone going door to door asking for money or someone knocking on the front door, looking around and then going to the back door, you should call 911 and advise them of this activity.
?• Some citizens have watched their neighbor?’s front door get kicked open and watched the burglar carry the property to the suspect car and drive away. The neighbor did not call the police but did tell their neighbor when they got home. Please call 911 as soon as you know something is wrong
Contact Community Affairs, 268-4101 for a free home survey, they will come out and check your locks, lighting and give you an Operation Identification pamphlet to record serial numbers of all your electronic items. They can also assist you in establishing a Neighborhood Watch on your block

June, 2007
Every year the Wichita Police Department notices a large increase in preventable auto thefts in neighborhoods like yours. Most of these incidents occur during the early morning hours; however it is not uncommon for this type of crime to occur throughout the day. Kansas State Law prohibits a person from leaving their vehicle running unattended for any amount of time. The Police Department is notifying you of this crime trend as a type of education and not taking criminal action at this time. Your awareness and help in combating this criminal activity is greatly appreciated.

KSA 8-1573
8-1573. Unattended Motor Vehicle. (a) No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key from the ignition, effectively setting the brake thereon and, when standing upon any grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway.
(b) For the purpose of this section, unattended shall not be construed to mean a motor vehicle with an engine that has been activated by a remote starter system, when the motor vehicle is locked and when the ignition keys are not in the motor vehicle.

A thief can steal your car in less than a minute.

You and you alone are responsible for your vehicle. We need your help to fight these growing number of auto thefts. Please CALL 911 if you hear or see something suspicious in your neighborhood. A remote starter or transmission lock can often be installed in your vehicle for less than $100. A device such as these will allow your vehicle to run without the threat of being stolen. In addition, you will still have possession of your keys, keeping your home safe too.

The Wichita Police Department?’s mission is to provide professional and ethical public safety services in partnership with citizens to identify, prevent and solve the problems of crime, fear of crime, social disorder and neighborhood decay, thereby improving the quality of life in our community.

If you have questions or concerns about this issue, or if you are interested in additional ways you can protect yourself or your property, please feel free to contact, Officer C.D. Davidson, your Community Policing Beat Coordinator Officer at the Patrol West Substation (661 N. Elder) or call him at 337-9400. We are working hard within your community to keep you and your property safe but WE NEED YOU?’RE HELP!


Hello everyone, this is Officer Davidson, your community policing officer.
~SCAMS are easy ways for criminals to obtain money or other goods by deceit and remain highly unidentifiable. Scams occur door to door, phone to phone and over the internet. Please take some time to review these following tips to ensure that you don?’t become the next scam victim.
~A scam is using deception to obtain money, goods or services from an unwitting individual. Falling for a scam makes YOU accountable for the loss.
~Financial institutions know how to convert currency from other countries...NO ONE needs YOUR assistance with this process.
~Anyone capable of receiving a paycheck is capable of depositing it. No one needs you to cash their checks for them due to lack of identification. Any stranger who is willing to give you part of their money in exchange for cashing a check is SCAMMING you.
~If you receive an unsolicited check, money order or other funds, with instructions to deposit or cash it, then wire or send a portion of the money anywhere for any reason is a SCAM.
~No legitimate buyer will send you a check or money order that is written for more than the amount and then ask you to send the excess back to them...this is a SCAM.
~NEVER give out your social security number, drivers license number, bank account number or other information during an unsolicited phone call. Always verify the call
~True lottery or contest winners are paid by check. You never have to send money back, open a new account or give out account information to receive your winnings.
~NEVER accept door-to-door offers until you have verified the legitimacy of the business and the offer. If they pressure you to make a quick decision....IT'S A SCAM!
~NOTHING IS FREE. ANYTIME YOU ARE CONTACTED BY SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW, OR ANSWER AN ADVERTISEMENT, BEWARE!! IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS.



I have a few things I would like you to keep in mind that correlates with the colder weather.
One major thing to keep in mind are the roads. With colder weather, rain, sleet, and snow on the streets will begin turning into ice. Icy roads are treacherous to drive on. Many times the ice is not visible while driving, and can be the cause of many accidents. With colder weather please take extra time to get to work, or anyplace you maybe traveling. Leaving fifteen minutes early will save you from the headache of leaving on time and being thirty minutes to an hour late due to being involved in an accident.
Another major thing to keep in mind are your vehicles. Along with the colder weather comes ice covered windshields and snow covered windshields. Many people will start their cars in the morning and leave them unattended in order to warm them up. This also occurs many times at gas - stations when people are traveling to work on a cold morning and they run into the gas station quickly, leaving their unattended vehicle running. Both of the incidents are dangerous and should be avoided. Car thieves are lurking around the neighborhoods and business waiting for the ample opportunity to take a vehicle that has been left running unattended.
Keeping these things in mind will help you from becoming involved in an accident or from becoming a victim of a crime. Please take these extra precautions during the colder weather, to ensure finishing out the 2006 year safely and crime free. With any questions or concerns please contact me, C. D. Davidson #2101, by phone at 337-9400 or by email at cdavidson@wichita.gov.

If you have any questions please call the Wichita Fire Department at 268-4585, or your community policing officer, C.D. Davidson #2101, at 337-9400.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, problems, or concerns. I can be contacted by calling Patrol West at 337-9400 or calling our community policing office at 945-3478. I can also be contacted by email at
cdavidson@wichita.gov.

Efforts Being Made To Elimnate
Drugs & Gangs in OUR NeighborhooD
Note the following numbers for reporting Drugs & Gang Activity in our neighborhood:

Patrol North 688-9500
(Com. Policing Lt. Nolte)

Patrol West 337-9400
(Com. Policing Lt. Livingston)

Patrol East 688-9331
(Com. Policing Lt. Wiemeyer)

Community Affairs 268-4101
(Lt. Dunbar)

Patrol South 462-2777
(Com. Policing Lt. Kenney)

Gang/Felony Assault
(Lt. Easter) 268-4191