The Ohio/Parsons Block Watch meeting
for Monday, May 20, 2013 starting at 7:00 pm will be held on the patio of the Olde Towne Tavern located at 889 Oak Street
Columbus, Ohio 43205
For questions please email info@oteblockwatches.org or call (614) 525-9633
Click on link below to view stats
click on link below to view
Click below link to view
North side of East Main Street 18Th and East Main
We need members of the community from Driving Park, Livingston Avenue and community members from the Near East Side to appear at the hearing below regarding the Kent St Market before Judge Hale on 01-22-2013. Judge Hale is really good about listening to the community and it will help keep this problem market closed. It is good to show support for the officers and everyone involved in getting this criminal blight removed from our community. Numbers matter!!!!!! Please attend!
There is a hearing on 1-22-13 with Judge Hale to determine if these building will remained closed for one year. The State Agents traded EBT Food Stamp Cards for marijuana and crack. Informants from SRB made street level drug purchases in and near the store. PRU informant conducted 3 covert sales of property.
On 01/11/2013, at 10:45 am, In-Tac and State Liquor agent executed a search warrant at 1655 and 1656 Kent St . Liquor agents seized 5 EBT cards 3 of which were bait, bath salts, and a .38 caliber revolver from the owner.
Arrested from the Market at 1656 Kent St. were UMER MUBARAK MOHAMED, 1/7/80, and TIRHAS B. YEBOYD, 1/15/68. Two other warrants have been filed for two more people associated with the market. No arrests for those two warrants have been made.
From 1655 Kent St , 4 children were taken to Children’s Services and a pit-bull was taken by animal control.
A nuisance abatement was obtained through Franklin County and 1655 and 1656 were both boarded up by the county.
Property Recovery detectives also searched the market and were not able to recover anything from the 3 covert sales that were done.
This is an example of the preventative measures to protect ground units from theft.
1. There has been a motion detecting light installed above the units.
2. The units have a fence placed around them.
3. Each unit has metal slats covering 4 sides and bolted to the ground.
4. The area above the fence has a heavy duty rubber wiring which is run through eye bolts in the brick wall and tied into the fence.
Thank you Officer Terri Kalous and Officer Scott Clinger for sharing this information.
One one to protect yourself against criminals is to take precaution in parking lots. When walking to your car at night, have your keys in hand to avoid being a target for crime. This makes for a speedy entry and your key can also be used as a weapon in the case of an attack.
When walking alone, stand tall and take strong, confident strides. Do not slouch. Aim to come across as assertive or even aggressive. When you appear physically able, a potential attacker is likely to shy away from you; no need creating violence with someone who can put up a fight.
Avoid using cash machines. Even with surveillance cameras, more and more people are experiencing criminal attacks while withdrawing money. Plan ahead and use the main part of your bank for your money exchanges to avoid robbery. If you do have to use a cash machine, choose one inside of a grocery store or other busy public areas.
Be alert. Always be perceptive of people who are acting suspicious, and remove yourself from situations and areas that make you uneasy. Those are good instances to go with your gut instinct and one of the biggest ways to take a step toward crime prevention.
When making a purchase, do not pull all of your money out of your wallet. When you give people an opportunity to see how much cash you are carrying, you make yourself a target for crime.
Vary your routines. Switching up your route home, parking spot, or jogging route makes it more difficult for a criminal to mark you.
It seems obvious, but never pick someone up in your car. Don’t even stop for a stranger who appears to be flagging you down for help. Quickly call and notify the proper authorities (police, 911, towing..) but do not make yourself vulnerable by getting out of the car. Unfortunately, there are people who set traps like this for well intentioned good Samaritans.
Always be aware of your surroundings. At night, stay away from alleys, parked vehicles, or trees where someone could hide. Use busy, well lighted streets. Research the crime rate in your area and get a grasp on the neighborhood’s crime statistics.
According to FBI statistics, a house, apartment or condominium is burglarized once every 15 seconds.
Fortunately, burglary is probably the most preventable of crimes. By taking a few simple precautions, you can dramatically reduce the risks.
Of course, every home and every situation is different, and there are no guarantees.
Most home burglars do not give great amounts of thought to planning the job and assessing the benefits vs. dangers, but understanding how they choose a target can go a long way in reducing your chances of being a victim.
Most burglars look for:
•Something worth stealing
•Easy access combined with low visibility
•A home that is unoccupied
More residential burglaries occur during the day because homes tend to be vacant more often.
How to prevent break-ins:
•Fool them by making your home look occupied all the time.
•Use automatic timers on lights when away from home.
•Always park your cars in the garage with the garage door shut. A burglar may otherwise notice a pattern that a closed garage door or no cars in the driveway means no one is home. Closing the garage door and having curtains or blinds on the garage windows also hides some of your belongings.
•Place radios on automatic timers and raise the volume so they can be heard outside.
•Lower the sound of your telephone ringer and answering machine so that they can’t be heard outside.
•Never leave notes on your door that can tip off burglars and if your not going to be home make arrangements for your mail, newspaper and any packages you might be receiving.
Monday April 11, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.
Located at the Word Church 115 Wilson Avenue.
Contact fairavenuebw@oteblockwatches.org for more information
12th Precinct Police Sub-station
950 East Main Street Columbus, Ohio 43205
7:00 PM on Tuesday April 12, 2011
Contact ohioparsonsbw@oteblockwatches.org for more information
BY STEPH GREEGOR The Other Paper | Posted on April 14, 2011
On the heels of a weekend that produced five Columbus shootouts that left 12 people wounded, the Columbus police hosted a community forum Monday night, opening themselves up for public comment on their efforts as part of a national accreditation process.
“It was excellent. I was very pleased that people would come out on a rainy, Monday night and support us,” said the CPD’s accreditation manager Lt. Craig Stone of the crowd at Chief James G. Jackson Columbus Police Academy.
Those in attendance included representatives from eight different community groups. “All the citizens that showed up spoke positively about response time, the helicopter unit responding and assisting, and community liaison officers and how they assist.”
One of the 13 speakers was Ohio Parsons Block Watch co-captain Mike Moore, who spoke on behalf of the 12th precinct.
“I just wanted to reinforce with the accreditation board the exceptional involvement of the department with community policing,” he said during a phone interview Wednesday.
Moore, who we presume wasn’t alleviated of any unpaid parking tickets for his comments, gave props to 12th precinct’s community liaison officer Terry Kalous and the Community Response Team Sgt. Howard Pettengill. “The exceptional job that they do working with the community, and getting involved with the community-they’re not just sitting behind the desk and letting things happen. They’re very proactive, not reactive, just like our block watch groups.”
Moore said he felt it was important to speak up to the committee representing the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) because “you always hear about the bad stuff and never the good stuff.
“I just wanted to make sure it was brought to their attention that community policing works in our community,” said Moore. “It’s a benefit to the department as a whole and they should look at more opportunities for community involvement.”
Other groups represented at the public input session included the German Village Society and Civic Association, Sharon Woods Block Watch, I on U Block Watch, East Columbus Block Watch, Westgate Heights,Walnut Hills Block Watch, Beaumont Block Watch, Kingston Crossing, Miriam Block Watch and a Columbus field rep for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Stone said there was just one complaint during the public input session involving the number of prompts citizens must go through when calling the CPD’s non-emergency line before they get to a real person.
“Public Safety Director (Mitch) Brown was already aware of that issue and they were looking into correcting that problem,” said Stone.
The voluntary evaluation occurs every three years as part of a process to determine whether the Columbus Division of Police meets more than 400 professional standards for accreditation-a standard it has met since 1999, said Stone.
“There was one foul (this time) that we had to fix,” said Stone of the lengthy checklist, explaining that CALEA wanted some different wording in how the division writes its notifications of emergency response.
Stone said he expects the division to be fully accredited when it goes before the commission in July.
“(CALEA) was very impressed,” said Stone of the week-long process that ended Tuesday. “These are the things we should be doing to have professional police services.”
The mark of CALEA isn’t tied to any grants or funding, said Stone, but is helpful when creating policies and procedures.
Before CALEA, policies and procedures were based on the U.S. Constitution and state and local laws that described use of force and the legal limitations of police officers. Obviously those still need to be heeded, but CALEA takes a more proactive approach, said Stone, which helps put into place best practices associated with supervisory oversight and a more professional force.
The Columbus police will get its turn to host close to 900 participants for the July 2013 CALEA conference at the Hyatt Regency. Stone said he worked with Jamie Schafrath of Experience Columbus and the Hyatt’s Troy Hammond to prepare the bid that beat out Hersey, Pa., and Albuquerque, NM. Stone said he anticipates the conference to potentially bring just shy of $1 million into local coffers.
Anyone wishing to comment on the Columbus Police force can contact CALEA at 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155
Click on link to view
This Saturday, May 7 from 9am – noon, will be our annual alley clean-up. Please meet us behind 65 Wilson Ave (in the alley between Wilson and Sherman, Madison and Fair Ave) for some coffee and breakfast treats prior to our start.
I will be bringing my weed wacker to try and take care of the back of any neglected/poorly maintained properties. I will also provide some:
gloves
grabbers
garbage bags
push brush
rake
vests
Please bring any other items that you think we might need along with all of the volunteers you can muster up! It”s been proven that residential areas that are clean and well-maintained attract less crime. Let’s ensure that the back of our homes look as good as the front!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email.
Morrison Hill Block Watch Meeting
Saturday May 7, 2011 starting at 12:00 p.m.
12Th Precinct Police Sub-station
950 East Main Street Columbus, Ohio 43205
Contact morrisonhillbw@oteblockwatches.org for more information or call (614) 887-8583
South of Main Block Watch Meeting Saturday, May 7, 2011 starting at 10:00 a.m.
The 12th Precinct Police Sub-station
950 East Main Street Columbus, Ohio 43205
10:00 AM
Contact
southofmainbw@oteblockwatches.org
for more information or call (614) 887-8583
Ohio/Parsons Block Watch Meeting
12th Precinct Police Sub-station
950 East Main Street Columbus, Ohio 43205
7:00 PM Tuesday May 10, 2011
Contact ohioparsonsbw@oteblockwatches.org for more information or call (614) 887-8583
National Peace Officers Memorial Day is today May 15, 2011. Thank a Law Enforcement professional today for his or her service. This year has been a very violent year so far in Ohio with 6 officers killed. Take a moment to say a prayer for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and for their families and friends.
Click on link to view
Take a moment to remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
| 12th Precinct Community Liaison Officer Terry Kalous | 645-1412 |
| Strategic Response Bureau General Information | 645-4610 |
 Includes the following Neighborhoods:
|
|
Listening to the police scanner since 0115 this morning after being awaken from the spot light from the police helicopter and police cruisers in the alley and on the street.
Our officers all night have been responding to one call after another.
Want to say thank you C.P.D. for all your hard work and dedication not only tonight but every night!
Click on link to view
Councilwoman Mills and all …
Three shot at McAllister and Champion …
Let me avoid any potential issue of liable by preferencing this email and its contents with the word “allegedly” …
This was, unfortunately, so predictable. This is the same as last year. This is, in fact, the third time that 19 year old Robert Lawrence has been shot in one year (2x last year, all three within a block of this site). Robert Lawrence is the boy seated on the steps of the Transit Center at Main & Champion, flashing gang signs and rolling the joints in the video from our camera program that I showed you at our meeting in City Hall last month (see attached stills from that video). We were discussing his activity at the start of the meeting as something enforceable for him and the boys he was hanging with. You may remember that at our meeting, his illegal behavior in plain view on Main Street — and the behavior of those hanging with him – you referred to as simply “bad choices.” But they weren’t just “bad choices,” they were illegal and potentially lethal choices, as last night showed.
Robert’s (alleged) criminal activity (when I talked to him on the street three weeks ago, he said he was on probation with charges pending), which consists of hanging out on public streets with his crew selling dope, led to this – the third time he has been shot – each time within a stone’s throw of this location. This is where a stronger “loitering in aid of drug offenses” law – the type of initiative this neighborhood has been supporting — would have been helpful. Knowing this area has drug problems … knowing exactly who it is that is doing it and having cameras that can point to suspects and their affiliates, a “loitering in aid” law enforced in this area of known drug activity could have helped keep Robert and his partners from hanging out at all hours of the day and night, day after day, year after year, unchallenged when we all know they are illegally engaged in selling drugs on, or immediately adjacent to, city property. Last year we had an excellent and tremendous mobilization of resources by our local police and the Strategic Response Bureau – but we all know that level of intensity was not sustainable. And because we had nothing different in place when the police pulled out, after a brief period of quiet, here we are back to reacting to yet another shooting.
If we had maintained the progress of the working group from last year, this shooting could have been prevented. How many city dollars were spent after-the-fact on the police response and helicopter search, and ultimately how many public dollars will be spent on the medical bills of the wounded. Let’s not forget that three lives have been impaired. One of Robert’s friends, “Mimi,” is already in a wheel chair for the rest of his 21 year old life. Is Robert or one of the other two shot next to be rolling up and down the street, still openly selling dope on city streets? When are we going to stand up as a community and make the tough choices that will ultimately help these kids learn that the City streets are not going to be tolerated as drug markets?
Not so ironically, a member of last summer’s working group, called me to raise a red flag about this location getting hot again. She asked for our help focusing police resources again. She said there is shooting every night at Champion & McAllister, and that Monday night there were ten gunshots on McAllister right outside her window. She said it is now worse than last year – and last year was terrible. Last night, three were hit. Where did the rest of the bullets go. What if one had gone into a nearby house – as last year one went into a house at Champion and Cherry – just 500 feet north of this drive-by?
When are we going to get on the front end of all this violence? When are we going to be proactive to protect our residents – long-term/multigenerational homeowners as well as families who are living here short-term in our affordable rental units?
Councilwoman Mills, your expressed position in opposition to stronger loitering in aid action is unsupportable. I wish you had made it to the Olde Towne Block Watch meeting two weeks ago as invited to discuss this very issue. I would like you to work aggressively and productively with us immediately to jump-start those discussions on strengthening the City’s “loitering in aid of drug offenses” law. Some excellent work this community was doing in support of community policing and crime prevention last year languished through the council transitions last winter, with the clear indication that it would continue to languish indefinitely through our meeting in City Hall last month. This issue needs leadership. I am calling on you to approach this issue with an open mind, learn more about the issue and your constituents’ views, and as Chair of Council’s Safety Committee to lead the charge, to support our neighborhoods, our residents, and even those kids who are making “bad choices” by selling dope on street corners where they’ve been shot before. This legislative inaction on identified problems is why people are leery of our otherwise excellent neighborhoods. People don’t know that they will be safe in their homes – they hear of another shooting and run like hell away from our neighborhoods’ many positive people and many significant strengths. This issue affects every central city neighborhood suffering from gun violence. We organized around it last year and put forward a positive solution, but you need to carry it forward. What good is investing in a camera system if you don’t want to use it proactively? Let’s work together to develop an enforcement and prosecution strategy that works for the law-abiding citizens of Columbus who just want to be safe and secure on their blocks and in their homes.
Click on the “Gang Awareness” link below to view.
Some Top Crip Gang Codes Symbols Knowledge for members
0-0 is Double ought buck shot or shot gun
000 is Blood
001 is Blood love
006 is Silence (used by Black Gangster Disciples)
013 is Get him; assault someone (Bloods)
023 is Watch your back (Bloods)
6-6-2 is MOB; Numbers represent letters on telephone keypad
6-6-6 is Symbol for Aryan Brotherhood, Folks and Crips; also satanic cults
6 Point Star (of David) – Symbolic to gangs within the Folk Nation
6 Poppin, 5 Droppin – Folk Nation – Term used to disrespect gangs in the People Nation; Folk Nation (6) members shooting at People Nation (5) members
7 is Refers to the 7th letter of the alphabet “G”; may represent G for Gangster or G for God (Five Percenters)
7-4 is Code for Gangster Disciples (7th & 4th letters of alphabet) – G.D.
737 is Numbers on telephone key pad representing PDS; Public Enemy Number One Death Squad
025 is What rank are you (Bloods)
031 is I am Blood
041 is Kill the Crip (Bloods)
13 is 13th letter of the alphabet-”M”; may be used for
marijuana or methamphetamine
13 1/2 is Represents: 12 jurors, one judge, half-ass chance
14 or XIV or X4 is Used by Hispanic gangs for Northern
California (14th letter of alphabet – N) – Norteño 14, Norte 14
18 is 18th Street Gang
18th Street – Hispanic Los Angeles street gang – aligned with
Mexican Mafia
211 is California penal code – robbery ; also Crip term meaning Blood Killer
(2nd and 11th letters of alphabet – B K
212 is NY City telephone area code (Manhattan); also Blood term
(Tampa, FL) meaning Blood Love
274 is Black Gangster Disciples (2nd, 7th and 4th letters of alphabet) – B.G.D.)
2-15-19 is Brothers of Struggle (2nd 15th and 19th letters of alphabet) – B.O.S.
2-7-4-14 is Code for Black Gangster Disciples Nation (B.G.D.N.- 2nd, 7th, 4th and 14th letters of alphabet)
23/24 is Inmates on lockup – 23 out of 24 hours each day
24/7 or 247 is Constantly -24 hours per day, 7 days a week
3 R’s is Respect, Reputation, Revenge
88 is White Supremacist – Heil Hitler (8th letter of alphabet – H)
8-Ball – 1/8 is ounce of cocaine; alliance of Crips with the Folk Nation
is911 Warning that police are coming
311 is Used by Bloods meaning Crip Killer (3rd and 11th letters of alphabet -
C K
312 is Crip Love – 3rd and 12th letters of alphabet – C L
360 is Folk Nation – numbers representing “full circle of knowledge”
360 degrees – A “pure” Black Gangster Disciple
5 – Number symbolic to People Nation
The following slang terms are Blood terms, used to disrespect Crips and the Folk Nation
5 BAGGIN 6/ HANGIN
5 FLAGGIN 6/ DRAGGIN
5 POPPIN 6/ DROPPIN
5 BUCKIN 6/ DUCKIN
5 in the sky…..6 must die – Revenge; a People Nation member was killed – a retaliation against the Folks Nation will take place
5%, 5%er is Five Percenters
5 Percent is Five Percenters
5 Point Star – Symbolic to the People Nation
5 Poppin, 6 Droppin – People Nation – Term used to disrespect gangs in the Folks Nation; People Nation (5) members shooting at Folk Nation (6)members
5-0 is The police
510 is Oakland, CA area code; used by some to identify the location of their gang or set
50/50 is Neutral; non-gang member
6 is Number symbolic to Folk Nation
.
The “Primo” Sign
“Power”
“Victory” 
Number One 
Piru Sign: “Blood” 
Kitchen Crip
Bounty Hunters 
Crips: “Cousin”
Bishop 
Brims
Mafia Crips 
Athens Park Boys (APBs)
”C”: Crip 
“C-C”: Compton Crip
“U”: Underground Crip 
“H”: Harlem Crip
“E”: East 
“0″: Number Zero
“M”: Mafia Crip
“H”: Hoover Crip 
Black Stone
A small contractor at 18th and Oak was assaulted today. A guy came in the building and hit him in the back of the head with a hammer (8 stitches).
Described as 50 year old, black male, dark complexion, about 130 pounds, with a 3” beard. He was wearing short sleeves and jeans. Took about $8 and some cigarettes and fled.
If you have any information call police at 645-4545
*COMMUNITY ALERT*
This morning a resident was leaving for work at 7:30 AM. They had not stepped off of the front porch when they noticed a man running down the middle of the street. He was holding something in both of his hands in front of him that couldn’t be seen. The resident’s instinct was something wasn’t right so they looked directly at him and he turned and made direct eye contact with them and then he disappeared behind some trees and ran between two buildings and out of view. Just then an attendant at the Bell Center (813 Bryden Rd) came around the corner to say that he had just seen the running guy break into a car that was parked at the carriage house behind Ann DeWald’s old place.
The police were notified but doubt that there was an apprehension. The suspect person is a tall (6′ – 6’2″) African American, medium to medium dark complected male, mid 30′s in age, somewhat well built, short black afro hair style, wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a black short sleeved Tee shirt.
There is quite a bit of brush growth around the parking pad at this carriage house which would give cover, just the same, this was a rather bold daytime act.
If you have any information notify the police by calling 645-4545.
So you’re going on vacation and want your house and contents to be safe and secure while you’re gone? Well here are some tips that will reduce your odds of becoming a victim:
Cancel all regular deliveries
Before leaving, see that:
Early Saturday morning on July 23, 2011 between 0200 and 0600, someone graffitied Cherry Street between Monroe and South 17Th. A report has been filed. Whoever did this left behind the cardboard top that the paint cans came in. The Detective retained this as evidence and said they will try to lift prints. Here are a few pictures of the damage and the cardboard top of the plastic paint container.
Come Show the Solidarity
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Main and Champion
6-7:30 P.M.
We’ve got some great kids in the Near East Side – come support them.
Good food and community fellowship! Thanks JP’s
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FAITH-BASED AND LEGAL COMMUNITIES COME TOGETHER FOR A SAFE SURRENDER PROGRAM
Dear Mr. Gray and all other residents of Olde Towne East. Thank you for
forwarding this video to me. I would like to respond to the comments made
below. It does indeed appear from the video, if this is in fact Mr.
Johnson, that he is engaging in a drug transaction. I did show Mr. Johnson
some compassion by letting him out 14 days early because his brother was
murdered and it was requested that he be allowed to attend the funeral. It
appears that decision may have been a mistake. But I would like to point
out that even had he served his additional 14 days he would still have been
released and out on the street. Moreover, under the new statute passed by
the Legislature there is s a presumption that lower level drug offenders
should not be jailed at all. See 2929.13 (B) (1) a. Our prisons are
overcrowded and it is costly to send people to prison or jail (about $82
per day). The Legislature apparently believes, given economic conditions,
that it is better to send violent felons to prison rather than lower level
drug offenders. I am sorry that Mr. Johnson took advantage of my empathy
and decided to apparently commit a new offense. As you all know drug
offenders and persons with addictions usually commit new drug offenses
because it is hard to make a recovery from drugs such as heroin and crack.
I understand that sometimes jail or prison is the only option for these
repeat offenders. I will certainly carefully reconsider my philosophy in
light of this case. Thank you for bringing this case to my attention I
welcome input from citizens and obviously want to protect the public and at
the same time impose fair sentences.
Judge Mark Serrott
369 South High St 8th Floor C
Columbus Ohio 43215
614-525-3811
“Back to School” Traffic Safety Reminders
As students return to school the Block Watch groups want to remind motorists and pedestrians to observe applicable laws when in or near a school zone.
Reminders for Drivers:
When approaching a marked school crossing zone between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., on days when school is in operation and when schoolchildren are present, a driver must:
1. Stop all wireless phone communications;
2. Yield to any children or adults crossing in the crosswalk area;
3. Reduce his/her speed to 20 mph; speeding in a school crossing zone could result in a fine.
Reminders for Pedestrians:
1. Pedestrians should cross at designated intersections and crosswalks, and such movement should only occur when the pedestrians have the right of way.
2. No pedestrian should suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a moving vehicle, which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard.
Citizens wishing to notify the police department of traffic concerns may contact the department at 645-4545.
The Environmental Crimes Task Force
You can fight back when you see someone litter along Central Ohio highways!
When you see someone litter, call 614-871-5322. Operators at the 24-hour-a-day service will take the information (time of day, make of vehicles, what was littered etc) and turn it over to The Franklin County Environmental Crimes Unit which is funded by SWACO. Those who litter will receive a letter reminding them of the penalties for littering if an officer had seen the incident.
The Environmental Crimes hotline and website (www.itsacrime.com) also provides an opportunity for residents and businesses to report illegal dumping. Deputies from the Environmental Crimes Unit will follow up and make every effort to prosecute the culprits.
The Environmental Crimes Unit is made up of representatives from The Franklin County Board of Health, The Franklin County Prosecutor’s office, The Franklin County Sheriff’s office and the Columbus Division of Refuse.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Mayor Michael Coleman had a message for the community on Tuesday in response to the six officer-involved shootings in the last 26 days.
Click below to view stats
Click link below to view
Councilwoman Mills … this spring we watched in council’s conference room a video of 19 year old Robert Lawrence flashing gang signs and rolling joints on the front steps of the COTA Transit Center at Main & Champion, which you didn’t think was a crime, but simply “bad decisions” – and within a month young Robert gets shot for the third time in a year (along with two other people). Last month we send around video of 22 year old Dominique Johnson selling drugs on a vacant lot at Main & Champion, and last night he got murdered within 30 yards of the spot he was standing when that video was shot. Today’s attached video shows the driver/shooter as he shoots Dominique in the first 5 seconds of the video, then shows Dominique staggering across the street and collapsing about 30 seconds later.
We came to a Council Safety Committee meeting to share our concerns about this issue … we invited Councilwoman Mills to our Block Watch meetings, we listened to councilwoman Mills appear to accept on camera an invitation to visit one of our affected residents — Ms. Rogers – but at no point has there been any follow up from council – not to emails, not to our testimony, and not to Ms. Roger’s personal invitation.
We are serious people here. We’ve got a great neighborhood, but we’ve got a problem, and we have brought it to your attention with irrefutable clarity. Can we get serious about working on this “loitering in aid of drug offenses” law upgrade?, or is there another approach you can suggest that would be better? Law enforcement — the 12th precinct in particular — has been doing a heck of a job, particularly over the past couple months … and we applaud the administration’s commitment, have seen the impact of more aggressive policing, and we greatly appreciate the excellent policing work. But the police is only one aspect of this equation: they need council’s legislative support to help drive this violence out of our community, and we need judicial support to get, and keep, these repeat offenders off our streets.
What makes these last two situations so tragic, is that they were so predictable. We all saw these boys committing crimes, we had discussion about these boys, yet they both end up on the wrong side of a bullet. Those of us in the community have engaged in community dialogue, developed and published strategies, met with all the key elected and appointed constituents, provided testimony to council’s Safety Committee, implemented the first camera program in the City, voted the area dry, testified at liquor control license objection hearings … but despite our efforts we have only received support from the policing side of government. We believe we need, and we have sought, an integrated community response. So what are we doing wrong? When is help going to come from council and the courts?
Who is going to step up and show leadership on this issue?
Click on link below to view video
Another violent weekend: four people shot at Main & Lilley and the slaying of Dominique Johnson.
At the Council Public Safety Committee’s Trespass hearing earlier this summer, it seemed that the testimony of business owners was more important to council than the testimony of residents. The Committee heard from our residents, but did nothing to follow-up … thus, this video includes comments from “John,” the owner of M&R Beer & Wine and Mama’s Pizzeria, both at Main and Lilley. This is a business owner who has stepped up and prosecuted for trespassing on four separate occasions against members of the local drug gang. He has put his neck on the line and taken responsibility for the activity that previously occurred on his small patch of parking lot, but he cannot control the bullets flying from the public streets. This video does not include the fact that the operator he leased for Mama’s Pizzaria has now closed the store due to the violence – its frontage riddled with bullet holes. Nor did we include the pictures of our newly-built $1.7M Old National Road Condominiums project, one unit of which received a rifle slug in the front door from a shot that missed Dominique; our new owner, a researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, while shocked has taken it fairly well — but these drug boys on the street and these drug and gang-related shootings are proving to be the major marketing challenge for this project. John does refer to the violence driving residents from Main & Lilley, and the video provides a look at a deserted block, which is killing his business.
We are sending this video to a small group of key public officials in hopes that it sparks some commitment to action to the serious conversation we have been trying to have over the past 18 months with the city attorney, county prosecutor, courts, police, City Council, and neighborhoods. (As of this posting 09/14/2011 no one from the City of Columbus or Columbus City Council has contacted us)
We have got to come together around a strategy for these repeat drug sellers and violent offenders. Drug-related gun violence is destroying our neighborhoods. We continue to champion for an upgrade to the City’s current “Loitering in Aid of Drug Offenses” law. These kids are getting shot on the street, because that is where we tacitly allow them to congregate and sell drugs. We have to break up the open air drug markets by targeting both the drug sellers, and the network of spotters and runners who also profit from the drug trade. We have to make sure that everybody on the periphery of a drug transaction has some level of risk – where hanging around with the dope boys while they are engaged in their illegal activity is cause enough for prosecution. There is a social network around these drugs and guns that needs to be disrupted. We will be proposing a joint demonstration project in the area bounded by Whittier, Parsons, Broad, and Alum Creek.
Our understanding is that the next step in the “Loitering in Aid” discussion is up to City Council, through the Safety Committee. We do not view it as the panacea, but as a critical step in controlling open air drug markets on our public streets. We thought at the end of last year that we were on track to enter the legislative process. Changes on council and committee assignments have derailed last year’s effort and progress. We would call for all members of council to step up and insist that Columbus develop an effective and a constitutional law that addresses this open air drug market in public areas. The courts have never held that Loitering in Aid laws are unconstitutional as a whole: the courts have been clear that well-written laws can survive constitutional challenges, and the courts in each decision have identified specific areas of local laws found to be unconstitutional. We should use this direction from the Supreme Court to guide our legislative drafting efforts.
The police have redoubled their efforts in response to our concerns. We would rate the 12th Precinct’s actions over recent months as being spot-on and excellent. But all of us neighbors who applaud the police action know that the police cannot do it alone. We would love to hear from Council if there is a substantive reason why there is no need to address this legislative issue, which would make the local policing effort even more impactful. We believe if we work with the courts, this community has enough expertise to make an impact on the city’s currently ineffective and unconstitutional law. The only return phone call we have received from councilwoman Mills’ office was a declined invitation to come to our block watch one day before our meeting. Never a response to an email, and no follow-up to a meeting as promised. There is a lot of applied experience out here on the street, and council would benefit from hearing it. We hope – we expect – that council represents the interests of its constituents. We haven’t felt that on this urgent issue for many months.
Click on the link below to view video
Columbus’ crime rate remained almost level last year while rates nationally fell to their lowest levels in at least two decades, according to new FBI data. The statistics could become part of the debate as the City Council and mayoral campaigns heat up.
Mayor Michael B. Coleman and the four City Council members running to retain their seats this year — all Democrats — still can point to city crime rates that remain among the lowest in more than a decade since Coleman took office.
But Republican mayoral candidate Earl W. Smith, and two Republican and two Libertarian City Council challengers, say the city’s elected leaders are not doing enough to address crime in neighborhoods.
Nationally, the violent- and property-crime rates fell to their lowest levels since at least 1991, the FBI said. Locally, the FBI numbers show 7.1 violent crimes and 64.9 property crimes per 1,000 Columbus residents last year, both up a fraction from 2009.
“The media dubbed the summer of 2010 the ‘summer of violence,’ ” said Dan Williamson, the mayor’s spokesman. “Since then, we have seen a change. We have seen violent crime decrease significantly.”
But in pockets of Columbus, people say they don’t feel any safer.
“I realize, overall, that the trend is downward, but we have a neighbor over on Champion (Avenue) who has had to duck while going into her house; she has bullet holes in her house,” said Kathy Webb, captain of the Ohio/Parsons Block Watch on the Near East Side.
Webb said the block watch tried to meet with Councilwoman Michelle M. Mills, who leads the council’s safety committee, but received no reply from her or her office for several months.
Mills, appointed to the council in January, is one of the four incumbents on the ballot this fall. The others are President Andrew J. Ginther and Councilmen Hearcel F. Craig and Zachary M. Klein.
Mills said she has met with many block-watch groups since she became the leader of the safety committee. She pointed out that the council took up the issue of stronger trespassing laws after meetings with groups on the Far East Side.
Kathleen Bailey, chairwoman of the Near East Area Commission, said Mills is no worse than the rest of the council: “We get very little help from the council.”
Ginther took exception to any suggestion that the council is not listening. He pointed to community meetings he set up throughout the city after he became council president in January.
“This council and these council members have gone beyond what any council has done in the past as far as being accessible,” he said.
The two Republican council candidates, Matt Ferris and Daryl Hennessy, did meet with Webb. They said they have a plan to help neighborhoods such as hers.
“The City Council has just absolutely chosen to ignore them,” Ferris said.
Ferris and Hennessy said they would work with police officers to determine what resources are needed, possibly moving officers from quieter neighborhoods to areas that need help. The Police Division brass reorganized precincts last year to place more patrol officers in the highest-crime areas.
Then, the GOP candidates said, they would look for ways to stop the drug dealers and other criminals who congregate on street corners. Key to that, they said, is finding a way to enforce loitering laws.
That’s something the council has hesitated to do. When the council took up tougher laws aimed at trespassing on private property this summer, the city attorney’s office said that arresting people for loitering on public property has been ruled unconstitutional: People have a right to use public sidewalks unless they are committing a crime.
But Hennessy said such a law could be written to work. “It’s not unconstitutional to try to fix it,” he said.
Mills said she’s been considering a loitering law. The problem, she said, is finding a way to word it so the city won’t get sued and that also would do what neighborhood groups want: allow police to pick up troublemakers on the street.
In addition to allocating more than 70 percent of the city’s general fund to safety services, Coleman and the council Democrats point to steps they’ve taken recently to curb crime in troubled neighborhoods:
It’s one thing to arrest people trespassing on private property, Libertarian City Council candidate Mark Noble said, but he doesn’t agree with loitering laws. “If there’s already a crime, you should go after that,” he said.
He said he would advocate for the reform of drug laws — up to the legalization of drugs — to take away the violence that comes with a black-market drug trade. He’s running on a ticket with Robert F. Bridges Jr.
Williamson said the mayor was unavailable to comment yesterday. But George Speaks, a deputy safety director, said the city has had 11 fewer homicides this year than at the same time last year and that other crimes are down as well.
In the long term, all candidates said that the fix for the crime problem is a solid economy full of jobs and opportunity.
Smith, a retired police sergeant, said that too many people living in the worst neighborhoods have no job training.
“We’re going to have to do not just the training but mentoring to help them fit in a more-normal role in society,” Smith said.
He called surveillance cameras and summer police strike forces “baloney.”
“We’re going to have to try different things because, frankly, we’re not having success.”
|
Communities nationwide forge positive relationships with negligent property owners to instill pride, fight crime, and erase blight.
Part and parcel of the American Dream, home ownership is a goal to which many in the United States aspire. However, for the 100 million who either cannot afford to purchase their own home, or simply wish to avoid the hassle of repainting that white picket fence, renting remains a vital and desirable housing option.While the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has outlined the rights and responsibilities of tenants who live in federal housing, private rental property laws differ by state and municipality. Problems commonly arise when landlords and tenants willfully or unintentionally ignore the law by allowing property to fall into disrepair or by failing to address crime and safety issues. This negligence, in turn, perpetuates further, often irreversible, decay. Like the proverbial bad apple, one blighted property can spoil the rest of the neighborhood. Rental-owner neglect is a serious issue that can hamper crime prevention efforts. However, with the right tools, Neighborhood Watch leaders can engage landlords, empowering them to become partners in the fight to reduce crime and improve safety. Ensuring resident satisfaction and well-being is a win-win proposition for all parties involved—for landlords, who enjoy low vacancy rates and high property values; for law enforcement; and for residents, who feel safe and secure in their rental communities. To continue story, click on the following link. http://www.usaonwatch.org/resource/publication.aspx?PublicationId=116 |
Trying to wrap ones mind around how to define Thursday’s meeting with Columbus City Council Chair Ginther and Safety Committee Chair Mills. “Discouraging” is the most printable term that comes to mind. We had two goals for the meeting:
1. To confirm that Council agrees that drugs and gun violence in our community is a critical issue that Council will work on with us, and
2. To develop an agreed framework for moving forward to address this issue, with clear milestones and deadlines.
We accomplished neither of those two modest goals. While got a sense that Council heard us, we got no sense that Council would work with us. When we asked, what we heard was a commitment that Councilmember Ginther and Councilmember Mills would share our concerns with the Safety Director. No commitment whatsoever to work with us on these issues.
We asked for an agreement in principle (with details to be developed over the coming six months) that Council would commit some funding in the City’s 2012 budget – now under development – to implement strategies to address the drug and gun violence issues. However, Council’s response was that they didn’t know if there would be money in the budget for this.
Isn’t approving the budget Council’s job? – to make sure that priorities are allocated money in the budget? Why in the world is Council’s commitment to work on a problem with us subject to the Administration’s approval? Is there no initiative on that side of the government?
The thing that is so irritating about that position, is that Council either doesn’t know its duties and its power, or Council is unwilling to exercise its duties and use its power. Former councilwoman Charleta Tavares set-aside an Emergency Human Services Fund because it was a priority for her. Other council members have had specific budgetary initiatives. Those were activities where Council was showing leadership – and in some cases taking heat for it – and thus helping drive City policy and practice.
Why won’t this Council as a whole simply say: we can and we will address this drug and gun violence problem with you.
What is the point of having an elected City Council if they are unable or unwilling to pursue policy initiatives that protect the citizens of Columbus? Isn’t one of the primary duties of government to assure for the safety of its citizens? From our perspective, if Council is unwilling to commit to funding a community strategy for our neighborhood in the midst of all this carnage, this issue is simply not a priority to Council.
So we see a Council campaign commercial on TV, and hear it claim Council members are showing “strong leadership” and “fighting to keep our neighborhoods safe.” Frankly, that commercial is sickening after having just sat in a meeting where Council was unable to articulate or support anything that would help our drug and gun violence problem.
If “strong leadership” and “fighting” mean having a conversation with the Administration, then we are getting strong leadership and fighting. However, If “strong leadership” and “fighting” mean putting your butt on the line to make some real changes, then that commercial is a bunch of baloney. Nothing but hot air from politicians trying to get elected.
We have worked on these issues for years. We have rookie Council members who have not. Why do we have to suffer from their inexperience and their unwillingness to learn from, and work with us? We need help, and we’re not getting it.
-Ohio/Parsons Block Watch
Olde Towne East
Neighborhood safety survey for the Near East and Near South sides.
The survey is located at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LPJ6XXP
The 5-minute on-line survey asks for your thoughts on a variety of issues related to safety in our neighborhoods, and asks for recommendations on what needs to be done. We encourage you to complete the survey, and send the link to others in your neighborhood, and/or post to any list serves you are a part of.
The results of this survey will be shared.
As you know, Cynthia has been at the heart of our corporation and our mission since January 1, 1999. For nearly 13 years, she has been at the center of everything we have done—usually behind the scene, always making sure everything ran well. Because of her unassuming nature, only those closest to the organization will know the impact of her work with the Compact on this community. I will miss my executive assistant, my friend, and my confidante, and I say this to you: we are all immeasurably better for Cynthia’s pride, determination, and commitment over the years.
On behalf of the Columbus Compact Corporation, I honor Cynthia for the life she lived so well, and for the love and joy she shared so fully: Cynthia’s spirit lives on in each of us who had the good fortune to walk with her. With hearts leaden for family and friends, even in this moment of grief we can say with certainty, “O death, where is thy victory?”
-Jonathan C. Beard, President and CEO
Columbus Compact Corporation
-The Olde Towne East Area Block Watch Groups
Shooter in a 911 call: “I thought he had a gun, my life was in dange. I told him to get out of the car and stop. He’s over here right now.”
Dispatcher: “You shot him?”
Shooter: “Yes.”
When police arrived at the Ravines at Waggoner Park condominums, they found 28-year-old Sean Stiffler shot dead inside a car parked directly behind another vehicle with a broken window.
Shoot or don’t shoot? When you feel threatened, what are your rights?
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said, “The right of self defense exists regardless of location, which gives the right to use deadly force to protect the life of yourself or another. It does not exist to protect property outside a home,” he said. “There has to be a reasonable basis that if they don’t use deadly force someone will die or be seriously injured. The person must not have started the affray, must have sought to retreat and not used any more force than was necessary to protect themselves.”
“I would do the same thing, I would do whatever I had to do to protect myself,” said a neighbor who asked NBC4 not to identify her.
She said she has lived in the Ravines for eight years and is friends with the man who shot Stiffler. She is also a member of the Waggoner Park neighborhood block watch.
“I think he is a nice, loving, good guy and I can’t say anything bad about him,” she said.
Neighbors said everyone looks out for each other in the area and that they were not surprised when they heard their neighbor tried to stop a crime.
“I believe he was just protecting the neighborhood,” said Amanda Meffley. “I think he saw something that he thought was wrong, obviously someone breaking into a car and just tried to go out and stop it. I don’t think he had any intention of harming anyone.”
Columbus police homicide detectives are still investigating the shooting and Detective Pat Dailey said, “We are not releasing the shooter’s name at this time and so far he has not been charged.”
She said that once the investigation is complete, it will be given to prosecutor’s office and possibly a grand jury.
For additional information, stay with NBC4 and refresh nbc4i.com.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail stories@nbc4i.com.
http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2011/10/12/columbus-old-towne-east-neighborhood-crime.html
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Residents in the Old Towne East neighborhood told City Council members on Tuesday that they felt that their crime concerns were being ignored by the city.
Neighbors claim that gun violence, drug activity and gang issues are getting worse, 10TV’s Danielle Elias reported.
A council spokesman said that they are looking at the complaints and will address the issues but would not provide any specifics as to how it will be accomplished.
“We’re living in an epidemic of drugs and violence in this area,” said Mike Moore, an Old Towne East resident.
Another resident, Teresa Lee, said that the crime has taken its toll on her physically and mentally.
“I’m to the point now (where) I’m frightened,” Lee said. “We’re all frightened because you never know what’s going to happen. You never know where the bullets are flying.”
The resident who attended Tuesday’s meeting said that they would not stop pushing for a safer neighborhood until things change and would continue to work with City Council.
Stay with 10TV News and 10TV.com for additional information.
By: Marcus Thorpe
Published: October 13, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio –
For months, neighbors on the east side of Columbus have watched violence take over.
There have been shootings and deaths, and it has left many of those living in the area worried and looking over their shoulders.
But the real challenge is trying to gauge just how everyone in the area is feeling and what they can do to make things better.
Enter a new survey brought forward by neighborhood leaders like Mike Moore.
Moore and others put together a survey that is focused on what the neighbors see as the biggest problems, where they are, and what can be done to make things better.
You can find the survey here.
It focuses in on not only the near east side, but the near south side too.
For additional information, stay with NBC4 and refresh nbc4i.com.
http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2011/oct/13/near-east-neighbors-seaching-safety-answers-survey-ar-785078/
PRESS RELEASE: PUBLIC SAFETY PRESS CONFERENCE FOR NEAR SOUTH AND NEAR EAST NEIGHBORHOODS
(Columbus, OH) Columbus Compact Corporation (“the Compact”), in conjunction with Olde Towne East Block Watch, will hold a Press Conference on Wednesday, October 19th at 11:00, at the corner of E. Main Street and 18th Street, in Olde Towne East. In the event of rain, the press conference will be moved to the conference room (2nd floor) at 1000 E. Main Street.
Both groups, along with many other neighborhood groups, have been seeking to engage the City of Columbus in developing a comprehensive action plan targeting illegal drug activity and its associated gun violence in Columbus’s central city neighborhoods. To date, this initiative is supported by the Franklin Park Area Association, Bronzeville Neighborhood Association, Driving Park Civic Association, Fair Avenue Block Watch, Franklin Park Block Watch, Miami Avenue Civic Association, Morrison Hill Block Watch, Livingston Park Civic Association, Ohio-Parsons Block Watch, Old National Road Business Association, Old Oaks Civic Association, Olde Towne East Neighborhood Association, Woodland Park Neighborhood Association, and Near East Area Commission, with other groups being added daily.
At the press conference, we will release findings from a recent attitudinal survey conducted of Near South and Near East area residents, business owners, and other stakeholders. The survey reports the perspectives of these area stakeholders on various issues related to public safety, the specific problems these area stakeholders observe in their community, and the perceptions of where strategies and accountability for change should be placed. We will also release the rationale and outline of a comprehensive, multi-agency demonstration project that would attack illegal drug markets and the attendant gun violence. The Franklin County Prosecutor and Administrative Judge for the Franklin County Municipal Court have agreed to participate in a multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency effort – but we need the City of Columbus to engage as well.
We have invited all candidates seeking election to Columbus City Council to attend the press conference, hear our discussion of the problems, see our recommended solutions, and react or respond with a plan of their own. Each interested candidate will have 3-5 minutes to address the press and our community. In our discussions with other neighborhood leaders across the city, we understand that these issues are not unique to our neighborhoods in the Near East and Near South areas – but we are mobilized here and prepared to address them we are waiting to see if a leader will emerge from the City of Columbus to help us attend to these issues.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonathan C. Beard, Columbus Compact Corporation, at 614-251-0926 ext. 201; Michael Moore, Olde Towne East Block Watch, at 614-887-8583; or Kathy Webb, Olde Towne East Block Watch at 614-887-8583
The OTE Block Watches and the Compact hosted a Press Conference on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 to announce the release of a neighborhood safety strategy we seek to implement with the City and other key stakeholders. A great thank you to the 56 people who came to the conference — you inspired us with your energy and enthusiasm. A summary of the Press Conference, along with materials distributed (which include the recent Neighborhood Safety Survey for the Near East and Near South side neighborhoods, are available by clicking on the link above titled “Compact and OTE Block Watch Release Public Safety Strategy” located on the home page top in the black paragraph section.
Click on link below to view
Maebull was taken during a robbery at 6pm Saturday night from a neighbors house at Garfield and Bryden. Their alarm was going off and a White male and White female, approx. 30yrs. of age was running out with items and the puppy. The car was white four door with no tags. The police were here in minutes with the helecoptor. They did not catch them. Our hopes are high someone will see little Maebull and get her back to her very sad Mommy and Daddy. Please repost to anyone who could help. Thank you! If you have any information please email info@oteblockwatches.org and we will forward the information.
PRESS RELEASE ON NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY
CONCERNED CITIZENS DEMAND ACTION BY PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
…
Joint Effort By 20 Organizations Of Columbus’ Near East And Near South Support Call For Action
Columbus, OH — Wednesday, October 26, 2011, EMBARGOED UNTIL 2:15 PM — In the form of a letter delivered to the offices of Columbus City Council today, concerned citizens of the Franklin Park Area Association, in a coordinated effort with 19 additional organizations of the Near East and Near South, request action by Columbus City Council to combat the criminal activities experienced in their communities.
In the letter, addressed to Council President Andrew Ginther, the groups have united to request that the Public Safety Committee begin work on revisions to City Ordinance cc 2317.50 “Loitering In Aid of Drug Offenses” first enacted in 1994. The groups also protest inaction to date by the Public Safety Committee Chair, Michelle Mills.
In the opinion of the City Attorney, Richard Pfeiffer, the existing ordinance on Loitering in Aid of Drug Offenses cc 2317.50, is felt not to pass constitutional muster. A representative of the City Attorney’s office indicates that the Division of Police has been directed not to enforce the existing ordinance.
Loitering in Aid laws are typically applied to drug offenses and prostitution. The joint effort asks for action by Council to provide updated tools necessary for the police and courts to combat open drug sales, criminal gun activity, violent crime and prostitution in their communities.
In 2010, representatives from Columbus City Council, the Public Safety Committee, the Division of Police, the City Attorney’s Office, the Municipal Courts and neighborhoods, met to explore options to help stop criminal activity in the Near East and Near South. The Council was expected to contribute by revising the ordinance as outlined in the report “A Comprehensive Approach to Addressing Issues Caused by Trespass and Loitering: Recommendations to Columbus City Council.” However, no action has yet been taken by Council.
The groups request that Council act in conjunction with other working group stakeholders to revise the ordinance and to provide funding for the Division of Police to enforce the revisions, in combination with other existing ordinances, to combat the criminal activities experienced in the communities..
The organizations represent residents, block watch groups and businesses of the Near East and Near South. In addition to the Franklin Park Area Association, the grassroots effort by the many organizations includes:
Bronzeville Neighborhood Association
Driving Park Civic Association
Fair Avenue Block Watch
Franklin Park Block Watch
Livingston Grove Block Watch
Livingston Park Neighborhood Association
Long Street Business Association
Miami Avenue Civic Association
Morrison Hill Block Watch
Mt. Vernon Avenue District Improvement Association
North of Broad Resident Association
Ohio/Parsons Block Watch
Old National Road Business Association
Old Oaks Block Watch
Old Oaks Civic Association
Olde Towne East Neighborhood Association
Schumacher Civic Association
South of Long and North of Broad Block Watch
Woodland Park Neighborhood Association
Rarely have these organizations joined together to present a request in such a unified approach. The joint request of Council has received additional endorsement of their combined effort by both the Near East Area Commission and the Livingston Avenue Area Commission representing these and other Near East and Near South residents, businesses and organizations.
Copies of the letter were also delivered to the members of the Community Safety Working Group, which includes officials from the Franklin County Common Pleas Court, the Franklin County Municipal Courts, the Columbus City Attorney’s Office, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Public Safety, and the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.
For More Information Contact:
Jonathan Beard
Olde Towne East/Main Street Community Safety Working Group
Columbus Compact Corporation (614) 251-0926; ext. 201
Columbus, OH) Columbus Compact Corporation presented Columbus City Council on October 24th with a proposal for the Columbus Safe Neighborhoods Target Zone, a proposed demonstration project to reduce illegal drug activity and gun violence in Near East and Near South neighborhoods of Columbus.
If adopted by Columbus, the Columbus Safe Neighborhoods Target Zone is focused on the area between E. Broad Street (N), Frebis Avenue (S), Alum Creek (E), and Parsons Avenue (W) – an area that has seen sharp increases in gun violence over the past year.
The Safe Neighborhoods project is built from resident concerns expresses through a recent neighborhood survey, conducted through October 14th. Key findings of the survey are as follows:
• 98% of respondents believe illegal drug activity and/or gun violence is an issue in their neighborhood
• 89% believe Main Street has a drug and gun violence issue
• 66% believe Livingston Avenue has a drug and gun violence issue
• 93% of those who responded to the question believed the problems on Main Street have gotten worse over the past year
• 72% of those who responded to the question believe the problems on Livingston Avenue have gotten worse over the past year.
• 83% believe that certain stores contribute to their neighborhood’s drug and gun issues
• 2% believe local elected officials are paying enough attention to their neighborhood
• 97% believe Columbus City Council should strengthen laws designed to reduce drug and gun violence
• 76% of respondents felt “Unsafe” walking to a corner store at dusk.
• 80% and 79% respectively, thought it was “Essential/Critical” for the City of Columbus to take a more aggressive stance toward criminal gangs and open air drug markets. Other high priority items were: harsher sentencing of repeat and violent criminals; more mentoring programs for young people; more activities for young people to do; a jobs program targeting young, first time offenders; and raids on drug houses and boot joints.
As a result of this community sentiment, the Compact and the Olde Towne East Block Watch have asked Columbus City Council to implement a program that involves Franklin County Municipal Court; Franklin County Common Pleas Court; Columbus Department of Public Safety; Columbus Division of Police; the U.S. District Attorney; Columbus City Attorney; Franklin County Prosecutor; and a coalition of neighborhoods including Olde Towne East, Driving Park, Old Oaks, Southern Orchards, Livingston Park, South of Main, Morrison Hill, and Franklin Park.
November 11th, is Veteran’s Day. It is important that we remember the service these special men and women have given our country. Please take the time to thank a Veteran and remember the sacrifices they have made. To all Veterans everywhere Thank you!
To view stats click on link below.
PERSONAL SAFETY
Safety is everyone’s business!
TOP 10 Personal Safety Tips
To view document click on the following:
Columbus Division of Police_11_2011
C.P.D will not respond to a theft complaint/call if the value of the property is LESS then $3,000.00 and also if you are calling to report property destruction and it is less then $3,000.00.
Judge Mark Serrott will be speaking at the December 2011 Ohio/Parsons Block Watch Meeting on Tuesday, December 13th starting at 7:00 p.m.
Judge Serrott will be speaking about the new sentencing guidelines recently enacted by the state legislature and will be answering questions from the public. Contact ohioparsonsbw@oteblockwatches.org or call (614) 887-8583 for more information.
Ohio/Parsons Block Watch Meetings are held at:
The 12th Precinct Police Sub-station
950 East Main Street Columbus, Ohio 43205
7:00 PM on the 2nd Tuesday of each month
When it comes to keeping your home safe, how can you judge if those you see in the neighborhood are supposed to be there? Whether you have joined a Neighborhood Watch group and are tasked with keeping an eye on the community, or are just trying to watch out for the safety of your own home, it’s important to catch suspicious behaviors so that you can report them to the police. It’s not just someone spray painting graffiti on a fence or throwing a rock through a window that you have to worry about. Though you may think that you’d immediately be able to tell that something is wrong, this is not always the case. Here are a few ways to spot those who might be trying to blend in as they prepare to break in or commit a crime:
Someone going house to house, ringing door-bells. While there are lots of legitimate reasons to go door to door, there are some burglars who dress up as solicitors or repairmen as a ruse so that they don’t look out of place on the porch. If they knock and get no answer, they can assume that the home is unoccupied. If any of the people walking through the neighborhood go to a back or side yard after ringing the doorbell, this is particularly suspect.
Someone hanging around a home you know to be empty. Whether the owners are on vacation or have moved away, make a point to strike up a conversation with anyone who’s around the home. Even if they are simply taking care of the home while the owners are away, you should make an effort to notice them. People hanging around an empty house may be a sign of a burglary in progress.
Anyone carrying anything large out of the home. Sure, it’s possible that someone has purchased that TV from your neighbor, or that your neighbor is moving. It’s also possible that they are stealing the TV. If you see anything valuable being carried away from a home, go see what’s going on. This is especially true if it’s after dark, because there are fewer legitimate reasons for carrying large items out of the home.
Look for people constantly coming or going from a particular house. Sure, they may just like to invite lots of friends over, but it may be the sign of a drug house or other vice activities. If you see someone who shows strange mental symptoms wandering around the neighborhood, they may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In both situations, it’s best to call the police rather than approaching anyone yourself, as they may behave in unpredictable or irrational ways.
With all of the above situations, move cautiously and with common sense. Don’t get in the middle of a violent confrontation or a burglary in progress – instead, call 911 and let the police deal with it. If you feel that you must approach them, or that the situation is not that dangerous, carry pepper spray or a stun gun. That way, if it does take a bad turn, you’ll be prepared to defend your safety. While there could be a perfectly innocent explanation for any of these potentially suspicious behaviors, it’s also possible that you have just stopped a crime in progress or kept one from occurring.
To view stats click on link below
Thank you Judge Serrott for taking the time Tuesday evening to attend the Ohio/Parsons Block Watch and discussing/explaining the new sentencing guidelines recently enacted by the state legislature and answering questions regarding these changes.
Holiday Greetings! Just a reminder to the community, please break down and dispose of any boxes you may have during this Holiday Season. Don’t just set outside or place by your trash can or dumpster. Drop off boxes at a recycling location or break down and place inside the public dumpsters. Don’t make criminals aware of what Holiday gifts could be inside your home. Criminals are patrolling neighborhoods looking for the empty boxes. Avoid being a victim of crime this Holiday Season.
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!
When you leave your home for the holiday weekend or just the evening, leave your house with the “at home” look by removing any mail, newspapers or fliers outside the front of your house. Leave a light(s) on or place on a timer to turn on during the evening. Make sure you close your blinds and curtains. Leave a TV or a radio on or place on a timer to turn on and don’t forget to turn on an outside light so when you arrive back home in the late evening you will have light to see your surroundings before exiting your car with family and any packages you may have.
The Columbus Dispatch Sunday January 8, 2012 11:31 AM
Columbus’ code-enforcement office does not keep track of the problem landlords the city repeatedly cites and hauls into court for not fixing dirty, dangerous properties.
“We’re not in the business of making a list of who’s bad and who’s good,” city code-enforcement administrator Dana Rose said.
Nor does the city have any policies requiring code officers to make sure people are not living in unsafe properties ordered vacated.
One of those properties was 90 Wisconsin Ave. in Franklinton.
City officials ordered the house vacated in 2009 after discovering several hazards and didn’t know anyone was living there until Christmas Eve, when three people were killed in a fire that started because a space heater was too close to a mattress.
Other cities routinely check vacated properties to make sure no one is living there. In Cincinnati, for example, houses that have been ordered vacated are visited every 30 days by code-enforcement officers. Cincinnati also requires owners of those properties to obtain a vacated-building maintenance license that costs $900 to $3,500 a year and to maintain the properties.
Anyone can go to the city of Cincinnati’s website and look up properties that have been ordered vacated.
In the wake of the Dec. 24 tragedy, Rose said Columbus might try to track such properties in the future.
Twenty years ago, Columbus leaders adopted a “get-tough” plan to deal with problem landlords, including filing both civil and criminal charges against the worst offenders.
The plan followed a 1991 Dispatch series that found how holes in the system allowed landlords to skate for months and avoid repairs with scant fear of being penalized.
But many of those same problems continue today and are exacerbated by the financial and foreclosure crises that left neighborhoods with vacant and abandoned houses. The city has more than 6,000 vacant and abandoned houses.
The prosecutor’s office filed 553 complaints in 2010 to try to get owners to fix blighted houses, but it filed fewer than 300 last year because the glut of complaints wasn’t getting rid of the nuisances.
The city says it tries to work with violators to fix problems before taking them to court.
Columbus officials have again vowed to get tough since the Christmas Eve fire that killed Jerrica Francisco, 22; her son Dashawn, 4; and her boyfriend, Demetrius Chappel. The Columbus City Council also is looking at tougher penalties for landlords who violate vacate orders.
In Columbus, those who ignore orders to vacate a property can be sentenced to up to 60 days in jail and fined $500. In Cincinnati, scofflaws face as long as six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
There, code officers filed 400 cases in 2010 for failing to license and maintain vacated buildings, said Ed Cunningham, Cincinnati’s manager for property–maintenance code enforcement.
“We have a pretty good system of data management,” Cunningham said.
He said Cincinnati is tracking 2,340 buildings that had been vacated. Since 2006, the city has issued 186 licenses to property owners whose buildings were ordered vacated. The cost is $900 the first year and $3,500 by the fifth year.
The money helps pay for the inspections as well as police and fire runs.
Cincinnati also requires property owners to maintain liability insurance. They must keep properties secure, watertight, litter-free and structurally sound.
Linda LaCloche, a spokeswoman for the Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services, said the city’s database can be improved so that city officials can more easily identify vacated properties.
Columbus City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr. was Franklin County’s first environmental judge after the court was created in 1992 to deal with housing and nuisance cases.
He said that new policies, requirements and laws are fine, but more staff members are needed.
“There are no easy answers,” Pfeiffer said.
The city has 43 code-enforcement officers to cover almost 230 square miles, including nine officers who are in various stages of training, Rose said. Columbus plans to hire two more this month, he said.
Cincinnati has 22 code-enforcement officers who cover 78 square miles. Bryan Wagner, the chief environmental specialist for the Franklin County Environmental Court, monitors 50 people on probation for code violations and 1,000 more on probation for animal-cruelty, graffiti and other violations.
He said he’d like some help.
Wagner also said he’d like to see stiffer penalties for those who repeatedly violate vacate orders, especially after someone loses a life.
The Wisconsin Avenue house that caught fire on Christmas Eve is one of
21 rental properties that Sam Vazirani owns.
Columbus has cited many of those properties, often for tall grass and weeds and trash, but also for houses that should have been boarded up but weren’t. The city said Vazirani usually complied within 60 days.
But Vazirani never went back to the city to show whether he had repaired the problems at the Wisconsin Avenue house or to get authorization to move people back into the building.
Gas service had been shut off Dec. 24 because of a leak.
Building inspectors ordered the property vacated on Oct. 22, 2009, after they discovered that the gas meter was missing and electrical and plumbing work had been done without inspections.
The Christmas Eve fire prompted a group of Franklinton leaders and residents to meet last week at St. John Episcopal Church to talk about problem landlords.
Resident Jed Dearing said many tenants don’t know what to do or where to go if they run into problems with their houses or landlords.
Violent nature of people blamed for big increase
The Columbus Division of Police reported 19 shootings by officers in 2011, the second-highest total in the past 15 years. Eight of the people shot were killed, the most in any year since 1997, division records show.
And the confrontations leading to police shootings haven’t ebbed as this new year begins, with two people shot in the first week of 2012.
A 19-year-old man was shot and injured by police who responded to gunfire on the Near East Side on Wednesday; a 36-year-old man was fatally shot early Friday after police say he struck an officer with his SUV during an auto-parts-theft investigation.
“We’re not the ones choosing to do this,” said Sgt. Rich Weiner, a Police Division spokesman. “The suspect has chosen to do something that necessitates our using that kind of force.”
Last year’s police-involved shootings peaked in August, when six people were shot, four of them fatally.
During the past 15 years, police have averaged
13.5 police-involved shootings per year, according to division records. The number has been trending mostly upward since 1997, records show. The highest total since then was 21 in 2008.
More U.S. officers were killed by firearms last year than in traffic fatalities for the first time in 14 years, said Steve Groeninger, senior director of communications and marketing for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
According to the group, 177 law-enforcement officers across the country were killed in the line of duty last year. Seventy-one died in gun violence, 64 in traffic crashes, and 42 in other incidents. Firearms-related deaths rose 20 percent from 2010.
Noting those numbers and the frequency of deadly ambushes of police last year, Groeninger said police work is growing more dangerous.
Sgt. Jim Gilbert, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, said that seems to be the case in central Ohio, where suspects appear to be more willing than ever to confront and assault officers.
“There are things that should be looked at beyond just officer-involved shootings,” Gilbert said.
“It seems like the bad guys are more brazen,” Weiner said.
Police are not cavalier in using deadly force, he said. Officers go through rigorous training to react along a use-of-force continuum that changes as a suspect’s actions escalate, he said. Deadly force comes last on that arc.
“It’s still a human life, and you think of it that way,” Weiner said.
In his work with the grass-roots group Men for the Movement, Cecil Ahad speaks directly to some of the most at-risk young men in Columbus. He also counts police officers among his friends.
“I know they’re not out here wanting to shoot nobody,” he said.
He sees the police-involved shootings as a symptom of the rift between the police and the community, and of the desperation of young men who believe they have little to live for.
The people who are aggressively confronting police are dealing with poverty, frustration, mental illness and a loss of hope, he said.
A cultural shift away from violence as an accepted form of conflict resolution would require teamwork involving government agencies, police and members of the community, he said.
“Some of these guys out here now, they don’t care,” Ahad said. “They think they don’t have much longer to live.”
Some, he suspects, see death by police gunfire as a way out.
“They want to escape,” he said. “It’s that bad. It’s that kind of mentality out here.
“We call this the ‘culture of death.’ ”
Outside air conditioners are particularly vulnerable to vandalism or theft because of their location outside the home. The copper used in air conditioning units is frequently stolen for resale on the scrap metal market and as a result, you could have to replace your unit because of damage. Securing your air conditioner against compromise can save you thousands of dollars while also providing peace of mind. Equipment on the market aids in protecting your outsider air conditioner against theft or damage.
Place an alarm on your air conditioning unit. Alarm systems are designed to attach to an AC that is difficult to remove and they emit a high-pitched scream when the unit is tampered with. This helps scare away potential vandals or thieves who want to find an easier target. Consider the location of the alarm system. A system installed within a home or commercial building lowers the possibility of a thief bridging wires or bypassing the alarm system. Determine where and how wiring is concealed before choosing an alarm system company.
Lock a protective cage around your air conditioner. Cages are designed as anti-theft devices that are difficult to remove or saw through. A thief would not be able to access the copper in your air conditioner without first bypassing the cage and most thieves won’t want to risk the added time and effort. This also helps protect the alarm on the system if you installed one.
Buy a steel or iron work air conditioning cage that cannot be cut with bolt cutters or sawed through with a miter saw. If you opt for a different material, such as polymer, make sure it can withstand cutting. All cages should contain a UV coating to prevent rusting, fading and cracking.
Air conditioning cages are made for ground and window units and come in sizes to accommodate both large and small residential and commercial.
Light your air conditioner at night. Thieves generally prefer darkness since it helps reduce the chances of being seen and caught. Security lighting will activate either because of a lack of sunlight or because it detects motion and either option will help secure your system.
Install a fence around your property. Ideally the fence should be at least 7 feet high to be more difficult to climb over. This provides another barrier between a thief and your air conditioner, helping reduce the risks of vandalism or damage.
Put up signs in visible locations that deter crime. Such signs include “Beware of Dog,” “Premises Protected by (fill in the blank) Alarm System,” “We Call Police” and “Neighborhood Watch.” Even if you don’t have a home alarm system or dog, broadcasting that you do will make criminals feel less comfortable choosing you for a burglary attempt.
Install visible surveillance cameras around the premises whether they work or not. Make criminals think that you are recording their activities. This will make them choose an easier target.
**COMMUNITY ALERT**
There have been more thefts of outdoor air conditioning unit guts as recently as 02/14/2012. Thefts seem to be occurring between the hours of 10 AM to 2 PM. The thief/thieves climbed a tomato trellis to get out of a backyard today. Call the police if you see suspicious activity or you see something that just doesn’t look right or out of place.
Caught one of the car sneak criminals. Reported from a block watch business owner. A car was being broken into at Main & Ohio, and a neighbor from S. Champion Avenue saw it and came to get me. They chased him up to Fulton and then down to S. Carpenter St. Police responded and arrested him, most items were recovered (CD’s and Amplifier from car) and he is going to jail.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A crime to net quick cash is on the rise in Columbus, 10TV’s Danielle Elias reported on Thursday.
Police said that they have had a number of air conditioner thefts reported this year.
Columbus resident Heather Worthington said her A/C units were stolen from her backyard quickly. She did not see or hear thieves, but found a number of items out of place after returning to hear Near East side home, Elias reported.
“I pretty much knew instantly that a crime had happened,” Worthington said. “They had put the covers back on the air conditioner but this one was lifted up slightly, so I could see the wire sticking out.”
Worthington said that wires were out of place, pipes were cut and pieces of her fencing were pulled down.
“You know, your stomach goes up into your throat, you just wonder how safe you and your children are,” Worthington said.
Paul Williams of Favret Heating and Cooling said that thieves took the copper lines and the inside coils that contain aluminum and copper from Worthington’s unit.
Thieves also have targeted rental units, vacant homes and churches in the area.
Mike Moore, a co-captain of the Ohio/Parsons Block Watch, said there is a pattern to the thieves.
“They’re doing the same thing,” Moore said. “They’re hitting during the day, when most people are gone at work.”
Moore said that he took his fight to social media and had gone door-to-door to warn his neighbors.
Police said on Thursday the Environmental Protection Agency was taking a closer look at air conditioner thefts because cutting the copper lines releases Freon into the ozone.
Watch 10TV News and refresh 10TV.com for more information.
For Immediate Release Thursday, March 8, 2012 WWW.JUSTICE.GOV
Washington – The Department of Justice, the FBI and the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) remind the public there is a potential for disaster fraud in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Suspected fraudulent activity pertaining to relief efforts associated with the recent series of tornadoes in the Midwest and South should be reported to the NCDF hotline at 866-720-5721. The hotline is staffed by a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the purpose of reporting suspected scams being perpetrated by criminals in the aftermath of disasters.
NCDF was originally established in 2005 by the Department of Justice to investigate, prosecute and deter fraud associated with federal disaster relief programs following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Its mission has expanded to include suspected fraud related to any natural or man-made disaster. More than 20 federal agencies, including the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the FBI, participate in the NCDF, allowing the center to act as a centralized clearinghouse of information related to disaster relief fraud.
In the wake of natural disasters, many individuals feel compelled to contribute to victim assistance programs and organizations across the country. The Department of Justice and the FBI remind the public to apply a critical eye and do its due diligence before giving to anyone soliciting donations on behalf of tornado victims. Solicitations can originate from e-mails, websites, door-to-door collections, mailings and telephone calls, and similar methods.
Before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, including the following:
In addition to raising public awareness, the NCDF is the intake center for all disaster relief fraud. Therefore, if you observe that someone has submitted a fraudulent claim for disaster relief, or any other suspected fraudulent activities pertaining to the receipt of government funds as part of disaster relief or clean up, please contact the NCDF.
If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud by a person or organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of tornado victims, or if you discover fraudulent disaster relief claims submitted by a person or organization, contact the NCDF by phone at (866) 720-5721, fax at (225) 334-4707 or email at disaster@leo.gov.
You can also report suspicious e-mail solicitations or fraudulent websites to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
The number of Americans using smartphones is rising dramatically. As smartphone speed and technology improve, individuals are using their phone to access personal information. Many users now access and manage business and personal email as well as banking and other financial data from their phone. This can make a hacked or stolen phone a one-stop shop for would-be thieves and scammers. These tips will help protect personal information on your phone.
Residents in the area of Oak Street, South 17Th, South 18Th and Gustavus keep your eyes open and make sure you secure your home and items in your yard. A few breakin’s have occurred in the past 24-48 hours. Police reports have been filed and our officers are aware!
Call the police if you see any suspicious behavior. 645-4545 and after the recording starts to play, hit the star key on your phone and it will connect you through to a dispatcher.
The house has been rented and wired with webcams, and the furniture is on its way! Starting Thursday, ABC 6/FOX 28 will be Moving In & Fighting Back with our friends in Olde Towne East. For 30 days we’ll be living, eating, and working side by side with neighbors as we learn what they have been doing to make their streets safer. A groundbreaking project all of us at ABC 6/FOX 28 are excited about.
We are moving into a former drug house that’s been given a makeover by the folks at Columbus Compact, a non-profit group that’s refurbishing vacant and condemned homes in East Columbus.
Over the past few years, neighbors have seen their fair share of gunfire, drugs, and violence, and have been working hard to not only take back their streets, but to do it in a unique and creative way. Thanks to The Olde Towne East Block Watch, Central Community House, and The First English Lutheran for rolling out the welcome mat, even before we’ve moved in.
We hope you share in our experience by taking a peek inside our Fighting Back house through our 24-hour webcams, joining our weekly online chats, or checking us out on Facebook our twitter! If you have a story you’d like to share drop us a line
Thanks for joining us as we move in and fight back!
Join your neighbor’s to greet our month long guests from ABC6/FOX 28 on Friday, April 27, 2012 starting at 4:30 p.m. till 6:30 p.m. on the corner on East Main Street and Champion Avenue. What a great opportunity we have to promote the upcoming Tour of Homes, block watch groups in our area, our businesses old and new, Hot Times, along with all the wonderful residents who call Olde Towne East home. We are going to be showcased for the next month on ABC6/FOX 28. Join in, tune in and visit http://www.abc6onyourside.com
Food, family, and fun. Police playing football with kids, adults conversing over hot dogs, this is a neighborhood that works together. Great community cook-out to welcome WSYX-Channel 6 to Olde Towne. WSYX is highlighting Olde Towne East as part of its “Fighting Back” segment, in recognition of the work and successes of the 12Th Precinct Officers, C.R.T Officers, block watch groups, businesses, churches and residents of OTE working together to take back our streets.
COLUMBUS — ABC 6 is on your side with some inexpensive ways to fight back against crime.
Columbus Police Officer Jason Jackson tells us that making sure your shrubs and hedges are less than seven-feet-tall will prevent thugs from hiding in your backyard.
Light timers can be bought for under $5 and they can be programmed to turn off and on when you’re out out. Motion detectors or flood lighting are also recommended.
Security pens and black light flashlights are available to Columbus City Block Watches. Homeowners can write their serial numbers on their property with invisible ink that can easily be read by police with a black light. If there is not a block watch in your area, contact Columbus Police to borrow the crime fighting kit. http://abc6onyourside.com/shared/newsroom/features/fightingback/videos/wsyxvid161.shtml
Watch the video player above as Steve Levine talks to bike patrol police officers about the turnaround seen over the past years in the streets of Olde Towne East.
http://abc6onyourside.com/shared/newsroom/features/fighting_back/videos/wsyx_vid_163.shtml
National Police Week 2012 Official Dates May 13-19, 2012
*** Events in Washington, D.C will be held from May 13-May 16 ***
Click here for Official C.O.P.S. and National Police Week merchandise
National Police Week activities in Washington, D.C.
Saturday, May 12 Early Arrival Day
Sunday, May 13 Official Arrival Day 24th Annual Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
Monday, May 14 First Day – National Police Survivors’ Conference Alexandria, VA
Tuesday, May 15 National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service United States Capitol
Wednesday, May 16 Second Day – National Police Survivors’ Conference
Thursday, May 17 Official Departure Day
Click here for Official NPW information from COPS
For more information, contact Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. www.nationalcops.org 1-800-784-COPS cops@nationalcops.org
Find out how Olde Towne East neighbors used a liquor option to fight back against crime in the area.
http://abc6onyourside.com/shared/newsroom/features/fighting_back/videos/wsyx_vid_169.shtml
Meet a former gang member who is doing his part to steer kids away from a life of crime.
http://abc6onyourside.com/shared/newsroom/features/fighting_back/videos/wsyx_vid_172.shtml
Jim Gilbert Thank you for all the support you continue to demonstrate to our rank/file CPD member, your officers!!! Looking forward to seeing you all tomrw. Evening!
———————————————————————————————
12Th Precinct (950 East Main Street) Clean Up Tuesday, May 22,2012 from 4:30PM-6:30PM. We will be meeting at the sub-station to pick up trash,cut down over grown hedges along the sidewalk and fence and spreading new mulch. We’ll provide some tools and trash bags, but feel free to bring your own as well. Hedge trimmers and pruners will be especially helpful! We want to express to the officers of the 12Th how much our community appreciates what they do in and around Olde Towne East by not only “sprucing up the sub-station” grounds but also presenting the officers of the 12Th with a special thank you to be presented at this time also. Look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, May 22, 2012.
12Th Precinct Officer appreciation. With heartfelt gratitude to the officers who serve and protect the residents of the 12Th precinct.
-From the Olde Towne East Block Watch Groups
Thank you Columbus Compact, Lowe’s, ABC 6/FOX 28 and all the volunteers who made this possible.
http://abc6onyourside.com/shared/newsroom/features/fighting_back/videos/wsyx_vid_175.shtml
Columbus Police Zone / Precinct Maps
http://www.columbuspolice.org/Maps/Citywide%20Overview%20Maps%20-%20Revised%2011-2011.pdf
Car (cruiser)Numbering System
The 1st, or 1st & 2nd digit, denote the precinct. The last digit is the cruiser district. District “8″ cars are paddy wagons
Examples: Car 14 is 1 precinct, cruiser district 4. Car 102 is 10 precinct, cruiser district 2. Car 168 is 16 precinct, wagon
Numbers preceded by a “9″ are Mid-Watch Cars. (Overlapping Shifts) Examples: 9014, 9102
Sergeants are “S” followed by the precinct number. Lieutenants are “L” followed by the zone number
600 Units are Freeway Patrol and Motorcycle Officers
CPD currently has 6 Jet Helicopters, armed with a Nightsun Searchlight & FLIR Infrared Imaging
Helicopters identify as “Chopper”
|
Please Read
The following application has been created by the City of Columbus, Division of Police for informational purposes only. In no way does the following information represent an official police report. If you require a copy of an official police report please contact the Records Section at 614-645-4747.
The Division of Police advises against using the following information for statistical purposes or crime trends. The information is not representative of all crime in Columbus and due to Division policy the information displayed is subject to several restrictions.
While every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, the Division of Police makes no warranties or representations regarding its accuracy or completeness.
Due to staffing shortages in the Columbus Division of Police Records Section, reports filed with the Telephone Reporting Unit may not be available for as many as 14 days.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On Thursday, April 12, 2012, at approximately 11:15pm, an unknown male broke into the front door of a residence in the Old Town East area of Columbus. This is the second time this residence has been burglarized within a two-day timeframe. Both times, flat screen televisions were stolen. Surveillance photos of the suspect may be viewed on our website, www.stopcrime.org.
The suspect is described as: Male/Black, light complexion, late 50s, 5’10”, 235lbs, graying sideburns which connect to his mustache, wearing a light colored toboggan and a light colored hooded jacket.
Crime Stoppers has posted a reward of up to $2,000.00 for any information received by June 27, 2012, leading to the arrest and/or indictment of the persons responsible for this crime. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 614-645-TIPS (8477) or go to our website at www.stopcrime.org and e-mail your tip. You can text a tip to “CRIMES” 274637, key word CMH.
Crime Stoppers does not use Caller ID or record telephone conversations. A special coding system protects the identity of the caller. Crime Stoppers also takes calls from persons with information about any felony. Information leading to the arrest and/or indictment of a felony suspect could qualify the caller for a reward as determined by the Crime Stoppers Board of Directors. For more information on Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, visit our website at www.stopcrime.org.
Crime Stoppers is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization. Reward money comes from private individuals, businesses, and foundations that see Crime Stoppers as an integral tool in the community’s fight against crime. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to Central Ohio Crime Stopper’s, Inc., and P.O. BOX 16038, COLUMBUS, OH 43216-6038.
Watch for the depiction of each “Crime of the Week” during newscasts on WCMH NBC 4, Sunday morning 7a.m., 9 a.m. and at 6 p.m., as well as Monday 12 Noon. Also watch for the depiction to be aired on WBNS 10TV, WSYX ABC 6, WTTE FOX 28, and featured in The Columbus Dispatch every Monday.
To view stats click on the following link:
Thank you to Officer David Byers for providing us with this Home Security Survey.
The ABC’s of the CPD and CFD: Violent Crime 7/25/12 (On demand video in the middle of the page.) Vice and street prostitution. Watch this video for more information.
The Next Citizen Police Academy will be starting
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The session will run every Tuesday for nine (9) weeks at the CPD Academy
Applications need to be in to CPD by August 17th 2012
http://www.columbuspolice.org/CommunityInteraction/CitizensAcademy.html
To view click on link below.
Officer Kalous has received requests about tire pick up’s in the area, due to dumping and mosquitoes. Liberty Tire has been gracious enough to help us with this project. We are arranging a tire drop off that will be at Main and Kelton in the gravel lot next to Churches Fried chicken.
We are going to have a dumpster there the second Saturday of October for you all to drop off tires. This is plenty of time to arrange alley clean ups and get rid of those tires that has been lying around.
Please remember this is FOR TIRES ONLY no other dumping will be allowed! Officer Kalous will be sitting there making sure nothing is dumped but tires. The hours that will be available to drop these tires off are going to be 11:30 am to 2:30pm on October 13, 2012. Any questions email info@oteblockwatches.org
Thanks to Liberty Tire and Officer Kalous!
South of Main Block Watch Meeting
12th Precinct Police Sub-station
950 East Main Street Columbus, Ohio 43205
10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 6, 2012
Contact southofmainbw@oteblockwatches.org for more information
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=950+East+Main+Street+Columbus%2C+Ohio+43205
12th Precinct Police Sub-station
950 East Main Street Columbus, Ohio 43205
Fair Avenue Block Watch meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, October 15, 2012.
The meeting that would normally be scheduled today is scheduled for next Monday, October 15, 2012. Contact fairavenuebw@oteblockwatches.o
On Saturday, October 13, 2012, 12Th Precinct residents and block watch members collected 111 abandoned and unused tires from our alleys and other locations.
Thank you to all who participated and disposed of these tires properly. Special thanks to Liberty Tires and Officer Kalous!
Click on the link below
We have the Checklist to the most secure home. Can you pass the test? Find out how safe your home is today! http://bit.ly/R6pisF
When you think of the holiday season, “car theft” and “home burglaries” aren’t exactly the first words that come to mind.
But it turns out that New Year’s Day, New Year’s Eve and Christmas Eve are among the top-ranked holidays for car theft in the United States, according to the National Crime Information Center. Home burglaries increase during the holidays, too, according to law enforcement officials.
Don’t let thieves spoil your holiday season! Follow these tips to keep your home and car secure.
Prevent Car Theft and Break-Ins
Whether you’re shopping at the mall or on main street, keep these tips in mind to prevent thieves from stealing or breaking into your car.
Park smart: Park in well-lit areas, away from dumpsters or large vehicles that can serve as hiding places for thieves or carjackers. If you’re going do more shopping after putting purchases in your car, change parking locations, so thieves don’t see you leaving your car full of gifts.
Stow your stuff: Keep your purchases hidden in the trunk, and consider using blankets, garbage bags or boxes to camouflage gifts.
Use common sense: When parking your car, lock it, close the windows, and always take your keys with you. Never hide a second set of keys in your car, or leave it running unattended.
Don’t get towed: To thwart thieves who use tow trucks to steal cars, use your emergency brake when parking, or turn your wheels toward the curb when parking on a street.
Holiday Burglary Prevention Tips for Your Home
Thieves love houses full of holiday gifts, especially when no one’s home. These tips can help prevent home burglaries.
Lock it, trim it: Lock all doors, and securely fasten windows. Specifically, use deadbolt locks, and place metal rods or wooden dowels in the tracks of sliding doors. Trim bushes and trees so they don’t provide cover for burglars.
Keep up appearances: Don’t post social media updates (or notes on your front door!) revealing you’re not at home. When you’re out, make your home appear occupied by using timers on lights, radios or TVs.
Out of sight, out of mind: Avoid displaying holiday gifts so they can be easily seen through windows. Schedule package deliveries for times that you’re home. After the holidays, break down boxes for high-value gifts so they fit in your garbage can and are not visible.
Neighborhood watch: When you’re away from home for extended periods, have a trusted neighbor keep an eye on things, and stop mail and newspaper deliveries.
