<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">Neighbors:<BR>
<BR>
I have been fighting for more to be done in our community to prevent crime for many years now. If you are concerned about safety and crime matters, such as the ones contained in the forwarded emails below (SEE BELOW), it is important that you communicate these concerns to Northern District through the Charles Village Community Benefits District which has a safety program exactly for that purpose. We need to increase patrols both by the CVCBD team and by Northern District. We need coordination between the CVCBD and the Northern District. We need the CVCBD Safety team to assist in educating us on the best crime prevention techniques and safety precautions. At the CVCBD Budget hearing on March 13 David Hill, Executive Director, confirmed that these things would continue to be done. We also need to do our part by becoming block leaders for the CVCBD and block watchers for the Northern District. The proposed budget and the presentation on the Financial Plan for Fiscal Year 2008 are both available online at the website www.charlesvillage.org . Please note that, although residents surveyed consistently have stated that they want safety and sanitation to receive equal treatment in the budget, the proposed budget spends less on Safety than Sanitation.<BR>
<BR>
I urge all of you who are concerned about safety issues to check out the budget and financial plan on the website and communicate with David Hill or your quad representative or your community association representatives about your concerns. We shouldn't wait for crimes to happen to take proper precautions and to make proper plans for improve safety. If we could increase our attendance at important meetings that would have the best impact.<BR>
<BR>
Sharon L. Guida<BR>
2746 Maryland Avenue<BR>
Baltimore, MD 21218<BR>
410-889-0436 (home)<BR>
410-467-4409 (work)<BR>
410-467-4410 (work fax)<BR>
410-960-1139 (cell)<BR>
SLG2700@cs.com<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
To all concerned neighbors and representatives of CVCBD and CVCA:<BR>
<BR>
We just received this message from Katie Beltz, our CV block leader <BR>
coordinator, via a neighbor, regarding a house break- in on the East <BR>
side of 2700 block of St. Paul and are quite alarmed by the brazenness <BR>
of this act. We have many questions and hope that all of you will <BR>
follow up on this and update us as more information becomes available.<BR>
<BR>
We were also very alarmed to hear of a car break- in, on March 28, <BR>
during the CVCA meeting at Margaret Brent, in which a guest presenter <BR>
to the meeting had her driver car window smashed and her navigation <BR>
system stolen while parked on St. Paul. How ironic when safety issues <BR>
were on the agenda just a few feet from the break-in. It took over an <BR>
hour and a half for the police to arrive on the scene, while she waited <BR>
outside on the sidewalk. This woman had to drive all the way back to <BR>
Frederick, MD without a driver window and without her navigation <BR>
system. What a fine welcome to our neighborhood.<BR>
<BR>
Clearly, safety issues cannot be ignored and indeed, must take <BR>
priority. It would be nice to think that we have gotten beyond these <BR>
more serious crimes and can relax by diverting our funds and turn our <BR>
attention to other more pleasant issues in our neighborhood. But <BR>
apparently we have not, and must continue to be vigilant and even <BR>
perhaps more so as these events seem to suggest.<BR>
<BR>
This prompted me to review the notes from the February 7, CVCBD meeting <BR>
where concerns regarding " a crime wave" were raised. Is this indeed <BR>
what is occurring? How does the Northern District respond to this? Is <BR>
there a pattern that can be discerned?<BR>
How is the CVCA and the CVCBD responding to this?<BR>
<BR>
Sincerely,<BR>
Linda Gravina Ridings<BR>
Cornel Rubino<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
From: Katie Beltz <katie@charlesvillage.org><BR>
>>Date: 2007/04/02 Mon PM 01:51:35 CDT<BR>
>>To: Block Leaders <blockleaders@charlesvillage.info><BR>
>>Subject: [CV Block Leaders] (no subject)<BR>
><BR>
><BR>
>>Monday April 2, 2007 One of our neighbors had their house broken into <BR>
>>last night on the East side of the 2700 block of St. Paul. They asked <BR>
>>me to email you all with the details as soon as possible so that you <BR>
>>all might be on the look out and keep your own houses protected. <BR>
>>Luckily they were not home, because the intruders stayed all night <BR>
>>long. They cut the phone lines (presumably before entering the <BR>
>>house) then forced the back door of the house open. They stole <BR>
>>mainly jewelry, power tools, personal documents, alcohol, and some of <BR>
>>the homeowners clothing. They may have been watching this house <BR>
>>because they did not seem to be bothered that the car was parked in <BR>
>>back of the house and that the lights were on up stairs. It appears <BR>
>>that the intruders were a man and a woman and that one or both of <BR>
>>them smoked cigarettes. They stayed in the house overnight eating <BR>
>>the homeowners food, drinking their alcohol, and sleeping in their <BR>
>>rooms. The home owners arrived early this morning around 7am to <BR>
>>find the house ransacked. Please keep your eyes and ears open but <BR>
>>remember, <BR>
>>* If you have any information regarding this incident please call the<BR>
>>Northern District Police - 410-396-2455 or JHU Campus Safety and <BR>
>>Security - 410-516-4600.<BR>
>>* Do not argue with an armed robber and risk serious injury: safety<BR>
>>- wise, it is better to relinquish the property demanded. Without <BR>
>>being obvious about it, try to form a detailed memory of the robber's <BR>
>>appearance so that you can make positive identification afterwards.<BR>
>>Timely and accurate crime reporting is critical to crime prevention.<BR>
>>Report all criminal incidents promptly to the Police<BR>
>>Katie BeltzBlock Leader CoordinatorCharles Village Community <BR>
>>Benefits District2301 N Charles St - Baltimore, MD 21218410-235-4411 <BR>
>>x16 <BR>
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