Hyde Park Crime Report

    by Bruce Nadig
There are no new crime waves rolling through Hyde Park right now, but there are some housekeeping items in the crime report. First the Austin Police Department news. As many of you know, APD has Austin divided into various geographic "command" areas. We happen to be in the Central West command. Each command area is led, logically enough, by its own commander. Among the resources APD has in each of the command areas are District Representatives. A District Rep is an officer assigned to specific neighborhoods within each command region. Our District Rep is Officer Brent Dupre. He can be reached by phone at 974-5841 or by e-mail at brent.dupre@ci.austin.tx.us . Officer Dupre can handle all sorts of neighborhood policing matters. Feel free to call him. It is his job to help you. If you have a true emergency, do not call Officer Dupre, call 911 immediately. For general police department information you can call 311.

The Central West Command has a new commander. Her name is Commander Ceil Hart, and her most recent assignment was in APD's traffic division. If you would like to meet Commander Hart, you are invited to APD's next Central West Commander's Forum. It will take place on Tuesday, August 20, 2002. It will be held at the Holiday Inn located at 183 and Mo-Pac. The starting time is 7:00pm. These meetings are open to the public and offer a great opportunity to interact with the Austin Police Department and share any concerns you may have. If you have any questions regarding this meeting, please feel free to contact Officer Dupre.

The Austin Police Department has issued a warning about construction and roofing scams that are operating in our part of the city. According to APD there is at least one person, but possibly more, that is approaching homeowners regarding repairs to their property. Typically these are roofing or other home maintenance or improvement projects. The person running the scam will get money for supplies from a victim. The person will either not return or will return and do only a small amount of work. It is common for these scammers to choose the elderly as victims, but anyone could be a target. APD recommends that you check the references of anyone that will be doing home improvements for you. In addition, you should also check with the Better Business Bureau. If there is anything suspicious the Austin Police Department asks that you contact them immediately so they can initiate an investigation.

This time of year the rate of reports of "Peeping Toms" goes up. Please be aware of anyone that might be doing this. Frequently, the person is not a Peeping Tom at all. Instead they are potential burglars looking for targets. Often victims will report that they have found outside belongings, such as

lawn chairs or flower pots, moved from their normal positions. The potential burglars do this so they can have something to stand on while looking in a window. Once again, please report any suspicious activity to APD.

There is some good news about a center of crime just outside of Hyde Park. The old Rio Motel, located on I-35 between 51st Street and Airport, has new owners. They are from Dallas and are in the business of renovating old motels and making them legitimate establishments. The new owners have already evicted some tenants, and they will be changing many of the motel's policies (requiring ID upon check-in, higher rates, etc.). Some demolition and renovation work has already begun. Speak with any APD officer familiar with our area and you will find that they are all too aware of the old Rio Motel. We can all hope that the new owners' actions live up to their word.

Finally, I'd like to tell you about an exciting APD program I am participating in. It is called the Citizen's Police Academy. It consists of 12 class sessions held once a week for 12 weeks. The classes last 3 hours per session. Each week we have speakers from at least two different areas of specialty within APD. We have had presentations from APD units responsible for everything from internet crimes and cadet training, all the way to crowd management and SWAT. Also included in this is the opportunity for a "Ride Along" with an APD patrol officer. (I just completed my ride along last weekend - would you believe that it was almost impossible for us to find anyone speeding on Mo-Pac on a Friday night?!). This is really a great way for people to learn more about how the Austin Police Department operates. Participation in the Citizen's Police Academy is open to any adult who lives or works in the City of Austin. The course is usually run three times a year, and the course is held both during the day, and in the evening. For more information on the Austin Police Department's Citizen's Police Academy, please send an e-mail to Officer Joe Munoz at joe.munoz@ci.austin.tx.us or you can call the Austin Police Department.

If you have any crime news or crime questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at motorbruce@hotmail.com or by phone at 323-0779. For emergencies, always call 911 immediately.

Your Garden

Cobalt bottle tree
passion blossoms entwining
on summer solstice