The following information was sent to citizens who live in the CMPD Westover Division area:RE: Park West Drive & Selwyn Farms Community Concerns
First, let me start by thanking everyone for continuing to bring your concerns to our attention. Over the last week or so I have received emails relating to your concerns about burglaries in your area and police response times. As the Commander of the Westover Division I share your concerns regarding criminal activity in your neighborhoods and will your address your concerns in this memorandum.
Property crimes relating to burglaries and larceny from auto continue to present great challenges for the CMPD. The Westover Division encompasses 16.5 square miles of Charlotte residential and business areas with the main corridors being South Boulevard, West Boulevard, Tyvola Road, Park Road, and Woodlawn Road.
Over the last 28 days the Westover Division has experienced a 25% increase in all property crimes with a 77% increase in residential burglaries, which translates into 23 additional burglaries from the previous 28 day period.
The trends relating to your particular neighborhoods indicate that for Selwyn Farms, over the last twelve month period there has been a total of (6) residential burglaries with (3) of those burglaries occurring within the last month. Park West Drive has had (4) residential burglaries within the last twelve month period, all of which have occurred this year.
It appears that most of the burglaries are occurring during the day when the homeowners are at work, and most involve someone forcibly entering the residence through a door or window. Again, I share your concerns regarding these incidents and I along with the officers and detectives assigned to the Westover Division are working diligently to address your concerns.
The Westover burglary detectives and I have had at length conversations with several of you as it relates to the burglary issues in your neighborhoods and these conversations have resulted in the exchange of valuable information which we believe may lead to future arrests.
In those conversations I also realized that there needs to be some clarification as to the difference between a “Robbery” and a “Burglary.”
“Robbery” is classified as a crime against person and is defined as a crime in which:
· A person commits a larceny from a person or from a person’s presence by violence or intimidation (the violence or intimidation involved can be as simple as pushing someone to the ground or the use of a firearm).
“Burglary” is classified as a property crime and is defined as a crime in which:
· A person breaks and enters without consent the dwelling house, sleeping area or any other building within the curtilage or dwelling of another with the intent to commit any felony or larceny.
I think this clarification needs to be made so that when future e-mails are sent citizens are not confusing the two. I am currently researching the police dispatch issues pertaining to the 3/11/08, burglary incident on Park West Drive where it was indicated that there was a 25 -minute delayed police response to a burglary in progress. As soon as the incident is properly researched I will provide you with an update.
We in the Westover Division appreciate your continued community concern and efforts relating to community safety and we look forward to continuing to work with you. I suggest that in the immediate future we all plan to meet and discuss these community issues and how to better address them.
I urge you to continue to be the watchful eyes of your respective neighborhoods and please don’t hesitate to continue contacting us with reports of suspicious activity or with questions. I assure you that we are working diligently to address and prevent crime not just in your neighborhoods but in all of the neighborhoods serviced by the Westover Division.