Merrill Park Neighborhood Assn.

Burglaries, Break-Ins, Assaults, Hit Area

Apr 22, 2008

Twenty burglaries, as many assaults, and a number of car thefts have plagued the neighborhood in the past three months. Especially hard hit have been empty properties where copper wiring and plumbing have been stripped out.
The worst so far came this last Saturday when three armed robberies occurred along Michigan Street between 28th and 34th Streets where three women were robbed at gun point and one of them was sexually assaulted. The three incidents happened between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m Many of the house burglaries Between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. but daytime burglaries have also occurred. In another burglary, thieves stole stained glass windows and ceiling fans while the couple were asleep upstairs. The thieves came back a second time the next early morning and stole stuff from the basement.
Police have stepped up patrols, but the neighborhood has experienced another six burglaries, along with the armed robberies and sexual assault last weekend one of the possible causes in the increase of crime are other crime reduction initiatives currently being done by Police in other nearby areas, forcing thieves and thugs to move to neighborhoods where there is less of a police presence.
Whatever the reasons causing these crimes, the best way to stem them is you. Police have responded to the crimes once they have been discovered, but few calls have been made to Police to report suspicious looking persons walking slowly through the area or vehicles that one does not recognize driving through alleys.
You can protect your property, and help you neighbor by calling the Police when you see a person or vehicle that is acting in such a manner.
By notifying Police of these occurrences, you are being proactive rather than reactive. In other words, your phone call helps Police determine if a suspicious looking person or vehicle is a possible threat to our area by stopping them and finding out if they have a valid reason to be around. Some people may ask ?“how do you know if a person is suspicious ??”
Most of us know our neighbors and the vehicles they own. We all get that ?“GUT?” feeling when we see someone or a vehicle that is not familiar slowly going up and down the street or alley. These are the times you need to call Police to report a suspicious person

Remember, only the Police can really determine if the person(s) is a possible threat to our Neighborhood before they commit a crime.