[Chat] FW: Another Burglary, Another Plea to Neighbors, Another Call for Help

Thu May 10 15:39:33 EDT 2007

  _____  

From: Moore, Dana Petersen [mailto:dmoore at wtplaw.com] 
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 12:53 PM
Subject: Another Burglary, Another Plea to Neighbors, Another Call for Help

Good afternoon everyone.  Please note the following information regarding a
burglary in the 2800 block of Guilford Avenue.  

This is the second if not third burglary in as many weeks.  We all need to
"be the neighbor we wish we had" by being sensitive to unusual activity in
our blocks, being comfortable with reporting such activity to the police
department and not placing ourselves at risk.  This alone won't solve all of
the problems (decidedly, we need more policing in our area), but it will
help.

Please also do the following:

*         Turn your porch lights on at night and turn them off in the
morning.  Don't whine about the cost - it's mere pennies!  And, if the porch
light's broke, contact one of our super C'Ville electrical contractors (Got
recommendations? Send names to Mike Klima and me)to come out and fix it,
finally!

*         Close your windows when you are not at home or not in a nearby
room.  It's very nice to have all of the windows on our first floor open.
I'm thinking cool breezes fluttering our lavender-washed lace curtains.
Nice.  BUT, if you're upstairs in your back room variously staring at your
computer and your backyard, that's a no-no and, as nice as it is to imagine
the lavender scented breeze you could be setting yourself up for an
unwelcome visitor!

*         Pick up your newspaper in the morning.  You don't have to read it
- just get it off of your porch so it looks like someone's actually coming
and going!  Letting papers collect for days makes it look like you are just
waiting for trouble, or a neighbor to worry that you might be trapped under
a heavy piece of furniture and so can't get to the porch to take care of
this yourself.  Neither option is desirable.

*         Remove fliers stuck in your railings, left on your porch, stuck on
your door, stuck in your shrubs, etc.  Don't get mad at the folks that pay
or are paid pennies to do the delivery.  That's pretty much a royal waste of
your time, energy and brilliance, unless you are willing to actually
follow-up on your threatening call to sue the vendor's pants off for
trashing your piece of the neighborhood.  Just pick them up, bunch them in
to a tight wad and trash them. Or, take the time to carefully catalogue them
for future use ("Chinese Food", "Dog Watchers", "Gardening", "Home Repairs",
"I'll Buy/Sell Your House", "Pizza Parlors", "Roofers", "Subs and
Sandwiches" are useful categories that come to mind).  Or, consider using
them for scrap paper to record all of the solicitation calls you get (insert
same categories as above).  You really don't have to be Martha Stewart to
figure how to "repurpose" these things - just do whatever one does with
these things!  Whatever you decide, just don't leave them on your porch, for
the same reason as stated at the second bullet.

*         Bring in the mail.  Every day!  If you're going to be away for a
time (that's more than one day if you get as much mail as Ralph and me and
you have a small mailbox like we do.  One "Baltimore Magazine" plus "The
Messenger" and a bill or two and we're overflowing!), ask the USPS to hold
your mail at the post office until you return.  Or, ask a neighbor to
collect your mail for you.  Most neighbors are glad to do this and will even
collect it in a pretty shopping bag and waive off the promise of trinkets or
chotzkis (how do you spell that??) from wherever you're headed off to.  So,
it's worry-free, hassle-free and . well, free!

*         Become a "Block Watcher" or "Crime Watcher" by registering your
big bad self with the BCPD.  That's the "Baltimore City Police Department -
Northern District", up on Coldspring Lane.  Officer Doug Gibson will help
you with the paper work (actually, it's so easy to fill out the paper work
that if you find you do need help to do it, you should not continue on as
this program is not for you!).  I did, just to see if it's as easy to do as
promised.  It is.  I have my papers to prove it.  DO IT!!

*         Get a dog.  It does not have to be a big one, just one with a big
bark.  Really!  We'll put Rajah, (a/k/a "Will Bark For Anything") on loaner
and send him over to do the training.  He'll love it!  Your neighbors won't
but then, unwelcome "visitors" probably won't either.  And isn't that just
the whole point?!!

*         Keep reading my e-mails for information about CVCA plans for
meetings with the BCPD Northern District requesting more policing (patrols
on foot, car, bicycle, horses even!) and security throughout all of Charles
Village and adjacent communities.  We well know that the interventions above
won't turn the tide alone.  We need help!  Now!

*          

Thanks!

Dana Moore

CVCA President

-----Original Message-----

From: Salem Reiner [mailto:sreiner1 at jhu.edu] 

Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 11:54 AM

To: Lynda Riely; Belinda Conaway; Mary Pat Clarke; Katie Beltz; Wes Tolbert;
Christian Wilson; Sharon Guida; Carla Ryon; Gabriel Goodenough; Victoria
Der; Beth Bullamore; Odette Ramos; Joan Floyd; Steve Trauner; Kathleen
Talty; Mollyne Honor; Carl Hyman; Bill Blanchard; Moore, Dana Petersen;
Perry Bridger

Subject: FYI - Burglary - 2800 Blk. Guilford Ave.

All:

Please note the following report dated 05/09/07 from JHU security.

Burglary (Private Residence) - 2800 Blk. Guilford Ave. - On May 8th between
10:00 AM and 12:20 PM, the front door and vestibule door of a graduate
student's residence were forced open.  Several rooms were ransacked.

Baltimore Police responded.  Investigation continuing.

Regards,

Salem

Salem Reiner

Director

Office of Community Affairs

Johns Hopkins University

901 S. Bond Street, Suite 540

Baltimore, MD 21231

443-287-9900 (phone)

443-287-9898 (fax)

Johns Hopkins Events: http://webapps.jhu.edu/eventslist/standardtemplate.cfm

Johns Hopkins News & Information:

http://www.jhu.edu/news_info/news/events/

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