announcements [2]

First, an announcement. Our Code Blue patrollers have observed that fewer garage doors are being left open at night. Thank You! Theft of property from open garages and unlocked vehicles continues to be the most prevalent crime in The Villages of Woodland Springs (VOWS).

Your efforts to keep valuables out of sight and reach are effective in deterring the criminals from visiting VOWS. Ours continues to be a relatively low crime neighborhood and there were no confirmed Part I (non-property) crimes reported in September or October. The large number of construction sites in VOWS currently, however, present criminals with many opportunities for theft. And they are not ignoring them! Fort Worth in general, and especially fast-growing areas like ours are seeing a huge rise in thefts of copper tubing and pipe, HVAC coils (also copper), and wiring (also copper). Do you see a trend here? Copper scrap prices are at a very high level now and it has been easier to sell stolen copper than other stolen goods. The Fort Worth City Council has passed an ordinance that requires scrap dealers to take proactive measures to discourage criminals from easily disposing of stolen metals. The law requires dealers to obtain a copy of photo ID, have video surveillance running (or hold goods until investigated by the Fort Worth Police Department), and provide other measures to identify the person selling goods. It’s effective so far, but the criminals are going to dealers in surrounding towns and cities. The FWPD is working with those suburbs to enact similar regulations.

If there are construction sites near you, please be observant when you’re out and about. The most susceptible situations are just before the concrete slab is poured (buried plumbing and electrical is already in place, but not covered), and just before the home is to be occupied (HVAC, appliances, fixtures are all installed). If you see suspicious vehicles, especially after dark, or individuals acting suspiciously walking on the sites or in the homes (or they are loading appliances and copper tubing into a vehicle!), please call the FWPD non-emergency telephone number and report the street, block, and a description of the people and vehicles, if possible. A license tag number is always a valuable piece of information when reporting suspicious activity.

Finally, on a different topic, here are some observations made as we patrol your streets and villages. Perhaps you did not know that some of these are illegal or violate VOWS “Deed Restrictions”.

• Vehicles parked on the street facing the traffic flow (“wrong side”)
• Commercial vehicles (primarily trucks) parked in the street or in driveways overnight
• Garage doors left open slightly to allow pets to roam freely overnight (pets have to be secured)
• Vehicles parked too close to stop signs or fire hydrants
• Many intersections on side streets in VOWS do have stop or yield signs. But we often see drivers go right through the signs that are posted on the main streets
• Vehicles traveling at excessive speed, especially on Park Vista, Woodland Springs Dr., and Coffeetree.

This one is not a law or rule, merely an observation:

American or Texas flags displayed at night without being lit, or flags displayed in the rain. If both are displayed together, the American flag must be higher than the Texas flag

Crime Summary – OCTOBER 2006

11Oct06 Burglary (Breaking & Entering) Toffee St.
14Oct06 Burglary (Breaking & Entering Button Bush Dr.
10Oct06 Theft (from Motor Vehicle)Wild Pear Ln.
31Oct06 Theft (from Motor Vehicle)Bobcat Dr.
17Oct06 Other Larceny (Theft)Vienna Apple Rd.
22Oct06 Other Larceny (Theft)Ambrosia Dr.
23Oct06 Other Larceny (Theft)Vienna Apple Rd.