Lincoln Village Community Association

Lincoln Village Police Liaison Officer

Theft, Safety and Vandalism in Lincoln Village

To those of you whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting, allow me to introduce myself. I am Officer Jeff Foust with the Fort Wayne Police Department and I am your Neighborhood Liaison Officer.
In the past few weeks many issues have been brought to my attention. In this newsletter I intend to bring these items to your attention and to offer suggestions on how you can assist us in solving them.
Children playing on frozen ponds is an issue that requires immediate attention. Many children drown each year across the United States because of this activity. I ask parents to keep their attention on their children and explain to them the importance of this issue. We do not want any of our children to be in harms way or to be a statistic.
The next topic that I wish to cover is "garaging". This is the act of entering your garage when the door is open and stealing any item that is interesting. As a police officer, my advice to you as a homeowner is to keep your garage door closed as much as possible. I drove through the community last week and counted eleven garage doors open at nine o'clock in the evening. If you see someone who is attempting to commit a crime or looks suspicious DO NOT confront them. Everyone is treated in the court system as being innocent until proven guilty, in this instance and for your best interests, they are dangerous until proven otherwise.
Vandalism is another issue at hand. Some of you have already experienced it first hand and it is frustrating to deal with, costly to the homeowner and association and takes away from the beauty of the community. Recently, there have been trees broken off at the base and streetlights broken by rocks. In one incident, someone struck a federal post office drop box and then left the scene. This is not only a local offense, but a federal one. These are all currently under investigation and we will soon have the persons who committed these acts serving time in your local correctional facility.
I feel we are starting to make headway on the speeding issue on Stand Ridge Run. Traffic does not appear to be moving quite as fast since the radar sign was posted there. Also, the stop sign at Stand Ridge Run and Newberry was a problem issue last spring. It seems that drivers were avoiding stopping because of the dead end street. Once again our department will be enforcing this issue and it is not worth $187.23 to avoid stopping. That cost is minor compared to striking and injuring one of the children playing nearby.
In closing, I want to reassure you that what I spoke of in this article by no means makes Lincoln Village a "high crime" area. This community, is by far, the quietest community in the city of Fort Wayne. I'm writing this to bring to your attention some of the problems that your community has experienced so you will be more aware of them. With your watchful eyes, we can work together to bring an end to these problems before they escalate into more serious crimes.
Finally, my brother officers and I would like to extend to you our thanks for your hospitality when we drive through the community and for your support in the past and ask for it's continuance in the future.
If you have any questions, you may direct them through either Philip Moehle, 490-8089 or Rosie O'Grady , 490-7327.
Faithfully Serving,

Officer Jeffrey Foust Fort Wayne Police Department