Man Entering Homes
    In December 2002, the Austin Police Department was made aware of several cases in which an unidentified man had entered women's apartments and homes. When the residents found him in their homes, they confronted the man. In each case, he said that he was looking for a book or a woman. In each case the man left the residence. In at least two cases the man had been found watching the female residents while they were sleeping. In one of those two cases, the woman was awakened when the man pulled back the sheets on her bed.
    There are at least two things that make these incidents really stunning. First, it is reported that the man always entered through an unlocked door. Second, most of these cases were not reported to the police.
    We all want to live in a safe neighborhood, but we must take responsibility for our own safety. The police cannot help us if we don't do the most basic things to help ourselves. Keeping doors and windows locked are very easy, basic things to do. If these measures are not enough and an incident does occur, it should always be reported to the police. They will remain unaware of the situation if the crime is not reported. Even if they are not able to solve the crime immediately, they can collect statistics and see patterns as they develop. This allows them better allocate resources and apprehend suspects more quickly.
    As it turns out, the man responsible for these incidents was arrested shortly after APD was finally made aware of these occurrences in Hyde Park. People have asked me if he is still in custody. I don't know, but I have a better answer for those folks: It doesn't matter whether or not he is in custody today, because he will be out some day and we don't know if he will return to his old ways. Furthermore, even if he is still in custody, there are plenty of other folks out there that could do the same thing.
    Please take responsibility for your own safety and the safety of our neighborhood.