Crime Watch News

Here we are, one week before Christmas, and all is peaceful and bright. While we've had a few instances of criminal activity within the neighborhood, we have shown a decrease in crime while incidents around us have gone up. As you have read, we put a group of adults and juveniles in lock up for armed robbery, burglary, etc. and it appears it was the right group. Now if we could just keep them there, we would all be better off.

We did have an incident on Log Cradle, a major street with lots of traffic, in which some scumbags took the factory wheels/tires off a Tahoe while it was parked in the driveway. While that wasn't the only incident we handled that morning, it is indicative of a crime trend. We have been dealing with this on and off for several years and there doesn't seem to be a way to prevent it other than not invest in these items. I responded to a firefighter in an apartment complex who had two different locking lug sets in addition to his custom wheels/tires getting taken and the vehicle had an alarm system. The people that steal these items are very good at what they do and while every once in a while we catch them at it, until we start lopping off body parts as in Saudi Arabia, it's not going to slow down.

Everyone in the neighborhood has gotten better at securing their valuables at night as the motor vehicle burglaries have decreased while around us they continue. The most popular item are GPS systems. Women are doing a better job of not leaving their purses in their cars as we are getting less of those calls too. We have taken a few reports of identity theft and credit card fraud. There are many ways to become victims, but in general, someone can't steal your identity without your personal information to include a social security number. I am still amazed at the number of people, whether it's on a traffic stop, or when I respond to an incident, when I ask for identification; their social security card will be in their wallet. There is no need to carry a social security card around as you cannot use it for anything other than get a job or driver's license. Other than that, if the wallet is lost or stolen, the potential for identity theft goes up dramatically. Also, for those of you that use computers, there is something called Phishing in which you receive an e-mail that supposed to be from your bank, internet provider, etc. saying you need to update your personal information to include social security number, bank account numbers or credit card numbers. Do not respond to these e-mails! Do inform the entity that the e-mail is supposed to be from as they need to be made aware. Also, do not use credit/debit cards at restaurants or any other place where someone walks off with your card. A criminal was using a group of waiters/waitresses with sophisticated electronic devices to steal credit card numbers and then attaching those numbers to gift cards which he sold to other criminals. This outfit was brought down by one cop finding one of these gift cards and backtracking the information on the magnetic strip. The original mastermind behind this was also doing car burglaries and when he found a credit card in a vehicle, would swipe the information from the magnetic strip and leave the card. The victim would never know about the problem until the next credit card statement arrived.

Another current scam is someone contacts you claiming to be selling something or offering you a job working from home. After you accept the offer, a forged check/money order/cashier's check is sent with the instructions to cash it, keep a portion and send the remainder somewhere else. The saying “if it's too good to be true, then it is” should immediately slap you upside the head. Some banks will cash these instruments as they are merely promises to pay and give you the money against your account. Once they try and collect on the fraudulent instrument and find out it's worthless, they are coming after you for their money. Also, drug dealers are now using this scam to launder money. I don't think any of you want to get caught up in a federal investigation of drug dealing/money laundering.

While we have a new federal administration coming into power, already the rumors of gun control are raising its ugly head. For those of you that believe outlawing certain or all types of firearms, ammunition or any other type of weapon in the hopes that will reduce or eliminate crime, I also have a magic pill that will make you smarter/reduce weight/richer. As some of you have read in the Chronicle, the majority of weapons seized in Mexico have come from Texas and in particular the Houston area. However, what the article failed to emphasize is that taking these weapons into Mexico is a violation of Mexican law. Some of these purchases were also illegal in violation of United States federal law and in some instances of Texas law. That doesn't include the use of these weapons in the commission of murder, kidnapping, drug dealing, etc. is also a crime. I don't think I need to address the corruption among government, law enforcement and military personnel. Anyone can pass any law they want, but as we have seen time and time again, until the criminal is locked up, he/she will continue to victimize anyone and everyone possible.

Amazingly enough, I went to a gun show before the election and bought a .22 long rifle firearm just because I thought it was a neat piece. The next gun show after the election, the same gun was selling for $140 more and only two weeks had passed. People were lined up four and five deep at each table trying to buy firearms and there was even a line to buy a certain caliber of ammunition. A couple of dealers had to cut off sales hours before closing because that was how long it was going to take to process the sales transactions already made. The price and availability of certain types of firearms and ammunition have started to increase (think Clinton gun ban) leading everyone to believe we are going to see a repeat under the Obama administration. I'm not going to tell you it's not going to happen, despite the recent United States Supreme Court ruling, but I've hedged my bets (and I'm in law enforcement) and if you think you need to, do so. President Obama will have his hands full dealing with more important things, but I can guarantee one thing, if congress wants to go along with anymore stupid gun control laws instead of punishing crooks, there will be a lot of politicians without jobs come the next election, just like last time. Some of you may not agree with my assessment, but an examination of any society that has attempted to control crime by controlling an inanimate object has failed or as one writer in the Chronicle noted, guns do not kill people, stupid people with guns kill people. Unfortunately we have no to will to control the stupid people because we don't want to offend them.

We are entering into a new year, check your vehicle registrations, safety inspections stickers and driver's licenses. Don't drink and drive. There are a lot of empty houses in the neighborhood, keep an eye on them and report suspicious activity. If you or anyone you know may be in need of a good job with benefits, the Harris County Sheriff's Office is still hiring. Go to www.hcso.hctx.net to see what we do and maybe even apply.

We as a nation are entering exciting new times, may you all have a Merry Christmas and a prosperous and hopeful New Year!

“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” Martin Luther King Jr.

-Officer Mook