For those that could not make it and would like more information on the meeting, below are notes which were provided by Craig Schiele.  Thanks to Craig for putting these together.

 

I will add a couple of things.  Alexandria provides a "Daily Crime Watch" service. You can sign up to receive these emails if you would like more information on crime activities in the city.  You can sign up at  http://enews. alexandriava. gov

 

Also, I wanted to suggest to everyone to let your neighbors know when you are going out of town.  We as neighbors are the first line of defense to prevent break-ins and can call the police if we see any suspicious activities.

 

Meeting with Captain Eddie Reyes, Alexandria Police Department

Tuesday, October 21 2008 at Cora Kelly Recreation Center

 

Captain Reyes is the Sector 2 commander for the police department. Herbert Street is on Beat 23 in Sector 2. This is statistically one of the safer areas in the city. Within the Herbert, Helen, and Leadbeater streets area there have been 22 crimes reported since January 1, 2008. This represents no significant change over recent years. The most frequent crime reported is theft from vehicle, the next most frequent complaints are things such as excessive noise, and then next theft from property.

 

A few notable exceptions to the norm were discussed:

 

July 23, 2008, 10:30PM – Assault and Robbery at the corner of Helen and Leadbeater Streets: A man, who was a waiter at Hector’s Place was beaten fairly severely and robbed of his earnings from that day, by two males. The victim was unable to make any identification at all since he was attacked from behind. The case is still open.

 

Sept. 27, 2008, 8:30PM – Robbery at the corner of Herbert Street and Mt. Vernon Avenue: A man, who just got off of a bus, was robbed at gunpoint by two males. The victim believes that a third male was in a car waiting for the other two. The case is still open.

 

Sept.29, 2008, 10:00PM – A patrol car, with an officer inside, was shot while parked in the Cora Kelly School parking lot. All patrol cars in that area plus responding units were located on Herbert Street, which was deemed a safe place to establish a command post.

 

Since the majority of the crimes have been theft from vehicles and property, the best prevention is to remove valuables from vehicles, lock the vehicles and secure property around your houses. Be sure that the area around your house is well lit and the use of motion dector lights will save energy and scare casual thieves away.

 

The police encourage the use of their non-emergency number, 703-838-4444 for anything that doesn’t involve a threat to a person. This can include anything from a barking dog to a car alarm to vandalism and loss of property. They want to hear about everything since gathering data helps to determine how they operate. Captain Reyes also stated that the department is making a concerted effort to change their internal culture to give more information to the public than in the past.